Difference between revisions of "Arkansas River" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Arkansas River map.png|300px|right|thumb|The Arkansas River flows through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.]]
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{{Infobox River | river_name = Arkansas River
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  | image_name = Arkansas head waters.jpg
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  | image_size = 280px
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  | caption = The headwaters of the Arkansas near Leadville, [[Colorado]]
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  | origin = East Fork Arkansas River, [[Colorado]]
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  | mouth = [[Arkansas]]
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  | basin_countries = [[United States]]
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  | length = 1,469 miles (2,364 km)
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  | elevation = 10,152 feet (3094 m)
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  | discharge = 41,000 ft³/s (1155 m³/s) <ref> J.C. Kammerer. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1987/ofr87-242 Largest Rivers in the United States] ''U.S. Geological Survey''. Retrieved September 22, 2008.</ref>
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  | watershed = 161,000 sq mi (416,988 sq km)
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}}
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The '''Arkansas River''' is a major [[tributary]] of the [[Mississippi River]]. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast and traverses the [[United States]] states of [[Colorado]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Arkansas]]. At {{convert|1469|mi|km}}, the Arkansas is the sixth longest river in the United States, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-[[Missouri River|Missouri]] system, and the 45th longest river in the world.
  
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The '''Arkansas River''' is a major [[tributary]] of the [[Mississippi River]]. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast and traverses the [[U.S. state]]s of [[Colorado]], [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Arkansas]].
+
The river's origin is in the [[Rocky Mountains]] in [[Lake County, Colorado]], near the town of [[Leadville, Colorado|Leadville]]. It enters the Mississippi at [[Napoleon, Arkansas]] 40 miles (64 km) northeast of [[Arkansas City, Arkansas]]. Principal cities along its route are Pueblo, [[Colorado]]; Wichita, [[Kansas]]; Tulsa, [[Oklahoma]]; and Fort Smith and [[Little Rock, Arkansas]].
  
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At 1,469&nbsp;miles (2,364&nbsp;km) it is the sixth longest river in the [[United States]],<ref name="usgs">{{cite paper | author=J.C. Kammerer | title=Largest Rivers in the United States | publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] | date=May 1990 | url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1987/ofr87-242/ | format=[[HTML]] |accessdate=2007-04-05}}</ref> the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-[[Missouri River|Missouri]] system, and the [[List of rivers by length|45th longest river in the world]]. Its origin is in the [[Rocky Mountains]] in [[Lake County, Colorado]], near [[Leadville, Colorado|Leadville]], and its outlet is at [[Napoleon, Arkansas]]. The Arkansas River drainage basin covers nearly 195,000 sq mi (505,000&nbsp;km²).<ref>See [[drainage basin|watershed]] maps: [http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_detail_static.cfm?map_select=391&theme=2 1]</ref> In terms of volume, the river is smaller than both the Missouri and [[Ohio River|Ohio]] Rivers, with a mean discharge of 8,460&nbsp;ft³/s (240&nbsp;m³/s).
+
The Arkansas River drainage basin covers 161,000 square miles (417,000 square km), and has a total fall of {{convert|11400|ft|m}}. In volume, the river is smaller than both the [[Missouri River|Missouri]] and [[Ohio River]]s, with an average discharge of at its mouth of 41,000 ft³/s (1155 m³/s).
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{{toc}}
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Historically, the Arkansas River has played an important role in westward expansion. [[Native American]]s hunted along its length, early explorers followed it westward, and from 1820 to 1846, it served as the boundary between the [[United States]] and [[Mexico]]. It continues to play an important role in the central states, feeding that region's important [[farmland]]s.  
  
 
==Hydrography==
 
==Hydrography==
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[[Image:Arkansas head waters.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The headwaters of the Arkansas near Leadville, Colorado]]
 
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The Arkansas has three distinct sections in its long path through central [[North America]].
 
  
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At its headwaters the Arkansas runs as a steep mountain torrent through the Rockies in its narrow valley, dropping 4,600&nbsp;feet (1.4&nbsp;km) in 120&nbsp;miles (193&nbsp;km). This section (including ''The Numbers'', ''Brown's Canyon'', and the [[Royal Gorge]]) sees extensive [[whitewater rafting]] in the
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[[Image:Arkansas River, Looking Across To North Little Rock 423757092.jpg|250px|thumb|Arkansas River, looking across to North [[Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]]]]
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spring and summer.
 
  
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At [[Cañon City, Colorado]], the Arkansas River valley widens and flattens markedly. Just west of [[Pueblo, Colorado]], the river enters the [[Great Plains]].
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The Arkansas River has three distinct sections in its long path through the central [[United States]].
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Through the rest of Colorado, through Kansas, and through northern Oklahoma to [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]], it is a typical Great Plains riverway, with wide shallow banks subject to seasonal flooding. Tributaries include the [[Canadian River]] and the [[Cimarron River]] (both flowing from northeastern [[New Mexico]]) and the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River]].
 
  
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Below Tulsa, and continuing to its mouth, the river is navigable by barges and large river craft thanks to a series of dams that turn it into reservoirs. (Above Tulsa, it is navigable only by small craft such as rafts, canoes, and kayaks.)
+
At its headwaters in the Sawatch Range of the [[Rocky Mountains]] near the town of Leadville [[Colorado]], the Arkansas runs as a steep mountain torrent through the Rockies in its narrow valley, dropping 4,600&nbsp;feet (1.4&nbsp;km) in 120&nbsp;miles (193&nbsp;km). This section (including ''The Numbers,'' ''Brown's Canyon,'' and the [[Royal Gorge]]) sees extensive [[whitewater rafting]] in the spring and summer.
 +
 
 +
At [[Cañon City, Colorado]], the Arkansas River valley widens and flattens markedly. Just west of [[Pueblo, Colorado]], the river enters the [[Great Plains]]. Through the rest of Colorado, through [[Kansas]], and through northern [[Oklahoma]] to [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]], it is a typical Great Plains riverway, with wide shallow banks subject to seasonal flooding. Tributaries include the [[Canadian River]] and the [[Cimarron River]], both flowing from northeastern [[New Mexico]], and the [[Salt Fork Arkansas River]].
 +
 
 +
Below Tulsa, and continuing to its mouth, the river is navigable by barges and large river craft thanks to a series of dams that turn it into reservoirs. Above Tulsa, it is navigable only by small craft such as rafts, [[canoe]]s, and [[kayak]]s.
  
 
Water flow in the Arkansas River (as measured in central Kansas) has dropped from approximately 248 cubic feet per second (7&nbsp;m³/s) average from 1944-1963 to 53 cubic feet per second (1.5&nbsp;m³/s) average from 1984-2003, largely because of the pumping of [[groundwater]] for [[irrigation]] in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
 
Water flow in the Arkansas River (as measured in central Kansas) has dropped from approximately 248 cubic feet per second (7&nbsp;m³/s) average from 1944-1963 to 53 cubic feet per second (1.5&nbsp;m³/s) average from 1984-2003, largely because of the pumping of [[groundwater]] for [[irrigation]] in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
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Important cities along the Arkansas include Pueblo, Colorado; [[Wichita, Kansas]]; Tulsa, Oklahoma; [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] and [[Little Rock, Arkansas]].
 
Important cities along the Arkansas include Pueblo, Colorado; [[Wichita, Kansas]]; Tulsa, Oklahoma; [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] and [[Little Rock, Arkansas]].
  
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[[The I-40 Bridge Disaster]] of May 2002 took place on I-40's crossing of Kerr Reservoir on the Arkansas River near [[Webbers Falls, Oklahoma]].
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==Riverway commerce==
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[[Image:AR Arkansas River.jpg|thumb|300px|Lower Arkansas River]]
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[[Image:Kerr-McClellan map.png|thumb|Inland waterway system with McClellan-Kerr Navigational Channel shown in red.]]
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The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is part of the [[Inland waterways of the United States|inland waterway system]] originating at the [[Tulsa Port of Catoosa]] and running southeast through [[Oklahoma]] and [[Arkansas]] to the [[Mississippi River]].
  
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==Riverway commerce==
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Though it primarily follows the Arkansas River, it also follows portions of the [[Verdigris River]] in Oklahoma and the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]] in Arkansas. It includes the Arkansas Post Canal, a short [[canal]] named for nearby [[Arkansas Post National Memorial]], connecting the Arkansas and White Rivers.
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{{Main|McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System}}
 
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The '''McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System''' begins at the [[Tulsa Port of Catoosa]] on the [[Verdigris River]], and runs via an extensive Lock and Dam system to the Mississippi River.
 
  
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Through Oklahoma and Arkansas, dams artificially deepen and widen this modest sized river to build it into a commercially navigable body of water. From the mouth of the Verdigris until the McClellan-Kerr system moves over to the [[White River (Arkansas)|White River]] near [[Arkansas Post National Memorial|Arkansas Post]], the Arkansas sustains commercial barge traffic and offers passenger and recreational use and is little more than a series of reservoirs.
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Through Oklahoma and Arkansas, [[dam]]s artificially deepen and widen this modest sized river to build it into a commercially navigable body of water. Along the section of the Arkansas River that carries the McClellan-Kerr channel, the river sustains commercial [[barge]] traffic and offers passenger and recreational use, and is considered by some, a series of [[reservoir]]s.
  
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==Watershed trails==
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The Arkansas River is quite shallow through Arkansas and Oklahoma, and was naturally incapable of supporting river traffic though most of the year. To allow for [[navigation]], construction was begun in 1971 on a system of channels and [[lock]]s to connect the many [[reservoir]]s along the length of the Arkansas River. The first section, running to [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], opened in 1968. The first barge to reach the Port of Catoosa arrived in early 1971.
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Many nations of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] lived near or along the Arkansas in its 1,450&nbsp;mile (2334&nbsp;km) stretch, but the first Europeans to see the river were members of the [[Francisco Vásquez de Coronado|Coronado]] expedition on [[June 29]], [[1541]]. Also in the 1540s [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] discovered the junction of the Arkansas with the Mississippi. The name "Arkansas" was first applied by Father [[Jacques Marquette]], who called the river ''Akansa'' in his journal of 1673.
 
  
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From 1819 the [[Adams-Onís Treaty]] set the Arkansas as part of the frontier between the United States and Spanish [[Mexico]], which it remained until the annexation of [[Texas]] and [[Mexican-American War]] in 1846.
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Each lock measures {{convert|110|ft|m}} wide and {{convert|600|ft|m}} long, the standard size for much of the [[Mississippi River]] waterway. Standard jumbo [[barge]]s, measuring 35 by {{convert|195|ft|m}}, are grouped 3 wide by 3 long, with a tug at center rear, to form a barge ''packet'' which can be fit into a lock. Larger barge packets must be broken down and passed through the lock in sections, and rejoined on the opposite side.
  
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Later, the [[Santa Fe Trail]] followed the Arkansas through much of Kansas except for the [[Cimarron Cutoff]] from [[Cimarron, Kansas]], to [[Cimarron, New Mexico]], via [[Cimarron County, Oklahoma]] along the [[Cimarron River]].
+
The specifications for the channel itself are as follows:
 +
*Depth of channel: 9 feet (2.7 m) or more
 +
*Width of channel: mostly {{convert|250|ft|m|abbr=on}}. - {{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=on}}. (75 m to 90 m)
 +
*Bridge clearance: 300 ft. horizontal (90 m) 52 ft. vertical (15.6 m)
  
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==Angling==
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==Watershed trails==
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The Arkansas River, in central Colorado, provides some of the best [[brown trout]] fishing in the west.{{fact|date=July 2008}} The first 150&nbsp;miles of the river, from Leadville to Pueblo, is prime trout water. Conditions vary widely along this section so the river is broken up into 4 sections; Leadville to Buena Vista, Buena Vista to Salida, Salida to Canon City, Canon City to Pueblo. Seasons are quite different on each of these sections. The Arkansas through Canon City may be experiencing spring conditions, while the Leadville area is still under winter consitions. Because of this sudden change in climate and elevation, fishing conditions vary by section and time of year. [[Rainbow trout]] can also be caught.<ref>{{cite book |last=Edrington |first=Bill |title=Fly Fishing the Arkansas: An Angler's Guide and Journal |year=2003 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |isbn=141343522X }}</ref>
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[[Image:Wichita pan 1.jpg|thumb|300px|Arkansas River passing through [[Wichita, Kansas]]]]
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Many nations of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] lived near or along the Arkansas River in its 1,450&nbsp;mile (2334&nbsp;km) stretch, but the first [[Europe]]ans to see the river were members of the [[Francisco Vásquez de Coronado|Coronado]] expedition on June 29, 1541 near the site of Dodge City, Kansas. Also in the 1540s [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] discovered the junction of the Arkansas with the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]. The name "Arkansas" was first applied by Father [[Jacques Marquette]], who called the river ''Akansa'' in his journal of 1673. In 1806 the American explorer [[Zebulon Pike]] traveled through the river's upper reaches.
  
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==Pronunciations==
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From 1819 the [[Adams-Onís Treaty]] set the Arkansas as part of the frontier between the [[United States]] and [[Spanish Mexico]], which it remained until the annexation of [[Texas]] and the [[Mexican-American War]] in 1846.
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Though many in the state of Kansas pronounce it as {{IPAEng|ɑrˈkænzəz}}, people in the state of Arkansas pronounce it {{IPA|/ˈɑrkənsɔː/}} according to a state law passed in 1881<ref>{{cite book | last = Stewart | first = George R. | authorlink = George R. Stewart | title = Names on the Land | publisher = Houghton Mifflin Company | year = 1967 | pages = pp. 335-340}}</ref>). People in the [[Southern United States]] pronounce it {{IPA|/ˈærkənsɔː/}}.
+
 
 +
Later, the [[Santa Fe Trail]] followed the Arkansas through much of [[Kansas]] except for the [[Cimarron Cutoff]] from [[Cimarron, Kansas]], to [[Cimarron, New Mexico]], via [[Cimarron County, Oklahoma]] along the [[Cimarron River]].
  
 
==Arkansas River Compact==
 
==Arkansas River Compact==
 +
[[Image:Fly Fishermen on the Arkansas River Near Salida Colorado.jpg|thumb|250px|[[fly fishing|Fly Fishermen]] on the Arkansas River near [[Salida, Colorado]]]]
 +
The states of [[Kansas]] and [[Colorado]] have a long history of disagreement concerning the Arkansas River (pronounced ''ar-KAN'-sas river'' in Kansas), arguing before the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] on three previous occasions, 1902, 1907, and 1943. After the 1943 action, the states developed the [[Arkansas River Compact]], which was intended to apportion the Arkansas River between the two states. In 1985, Kansas alleged that Colorado had violated the Compact and sought [[legal recourse]] before the Supreme Court. The Court appointed a [[Special Master]] to investigate the allegations and submit recommendations to the Court.
 +
 
'''Kansas v. Colorado''' refers to a number of cases heard by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]:
 
'''Kansas v. Colorado''' refers to a number of cases heard by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]:
  
Line 54: Line 74:
 
* Kansas v. Colorado, 543 U.S. 86 (2004)  
 
* Kansas v. Colorado, 543 U.S. 86 (2004)  
  
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[[Kansas]] and [[Colorado]] have a long history of disagreement concerning the [[Arkansas River]], arguing before the Court on two previous occasions, 1907 and 1943.  After the 1943 action, the states developed the Arkansas River Compact, which was intended to apportion the Arkansas River between the two states.  In 1985, Kansas alleged that Colorado had violated the Compact and sought [[legal recourse]] before the Supreme Court.  The Court appointed a Special Master to investigate the allegations and submit recommendations to the Court. 
+
In 1994, the Special Master issued his first report, which recommended that the Court find Colorado in violation of the Compact in certain respects. Since then, the Master has issued three more reports and the states have filed various objections, most of which the Court has dismissed. Kansas has filed six exceptions to the reports recommendations, and the [[United States]] has intervened to ask the Court to overrule two of them.
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In 1994, the [[Special Master]] issued his first report, which recommended that the Court find Colorado had violated the Compact in certain respects. Since then, the Master has issued three more reports and the states have filed various objections, most of which the Court has dismissed. This hearing concerns the fourth report recently submitted by the Master addressing the remaining remedy issues.  Kansas has filed six exceptions to the reports recommendations, and the United States has intervened to ask the Court to overrule two of them.
 
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
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<gallery>
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<center>
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Image:Wichita pan 1.jpg|Arkansas River passing through [[Wichita, Kansas]]
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{|
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Image:Arkansas River, Looking Across To North Little Rock 423757092.jpg|Arkansas River, looking across to [[North Little Rock]]
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|+
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Image:Dry Arkansas River.jpg|Drought can reduce the Arkansas River so much that trees along the river cannot survive.
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|-
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Image:USACE John Martin Dam Arkansas River.jpg|John Martin Dam and Reservoir on the Arkansas River in [[Bent County, Colorado]]
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| valign="top"|
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Image:Kerr-McClellan map.png|Inland waterway system with McClellan-Kerr Navigational Channel shown in red.
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[[Image:AR Arkansas River.jpg|thumb|175px|left|Lower Arkansas River]]
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Image:Scouting -Big.jpg|[[Whitewater kayaking]] on the Arkansas River
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| valign="top"|
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Image:Tulsa River Skyline.jpg|The Arkansas River in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]].
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[[Image:Dry Arkansas River.jpg|thumb|175px|Drought can reduce the Arkansas River so much that trees along the river cannot survive]]
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Image:Fly Fishermen on the Arkansas River Near Salida Colorado.jpg|Fly Fishermen on the Arkansas River near [[Salida, Colorado]]
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| valign="top"|
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Image:Natural landing.jpg|The Arkansas River in [[Natural Steps, Arkansas]]
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[[Image:USACE John Martin Dam Arkansas River.jpg|thumb|175px|right|John Martin Dam and Reservoir on the Arkansas River in [[Bent County, Colorado]]]]
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</gallery>
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|-
 +
|}
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</center>
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<center>
 +
{|
 +
|+
 +
|-
 +
| valign="top"|
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[[Image:Scouting -Big.jpg|thumb|175px|left|[[Whitewater kayaking]] on the Arkansas River]]
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| valign="top"|
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[[Image:Tulsa River Skyline.jpg|thumb|175px|The Arkansas River in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]]]]
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| valign="top"|
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[[Image:Natural landing.jpg|thumb|175px|right|The Arkansas River in [[Natural Steps, Arkansas]]]]
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|-
 +
|}
 +
</center>
  
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==See also==
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==Notes==
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* [[List of crossings of the Arkansas River]]
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<references/>
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* [[McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System]]
 
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* Listing of rivers for each state: [[List of Colorado rivers|Colorado]], [[List of Kansas rivers|Kansas]], [[List of Oklahoma rivers|Oklahoma]], [[List of Arkansas rivers|Arkansas]]
 
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* [[Kansas v. Colorado]]
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
<references/>
+
*''Arkansas River Coalition''. [http://www.arkriver.org/ Arkansas River] Retrieved September 22, 2008.
 +
* ''EarthTrends''. [http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_fullscale.cfm?mapID=391&theme=2 Full Scale Map] Retrieved September 22, 2008.
 +
* Gordon, Alice, Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Mel White, Tim Thompson, and Roger G. Kennedy. 1990. ''Texas and the Arkansas River Valley''. The Smithsonian guide to historic America. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. ISBN 9781556701245
 +
* Oklahoma. 2007. ''McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System 2007 inland waterway fact sheet''. Tulsa: ODOT Waterways Branch.
  
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==External links==
 
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{{Commons|Arkansas River}}
 
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* [http://www.equusinfo.org/eb_map.shtml Aquifer saturation map] for ''[[Equus Beds]] [[Aquifer]] Recharge Project''
 
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*[http://www.arkriver.org/ Arkansas River Coalition]
 
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* [http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/maps_fullscale.cfm?mapID=391&theme=2 Full Scale Map]
 
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*[http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Environmental/WATERCenter/Tours/ Wichita Water Center Tours]
 
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*[http://www.tulsaport.com/navigation_system_map.html Animated Map] of navigation system
 
  
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
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{{credit|Arkansas_River|239144112|Kansas_v._Colorado|213760440|}}
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{{credit|Arkansas_River|239144112|Kansas_v._Colorado|213760440|McClellan-Kerr_Arkansas_River_Navigation_System|232333882}}

Latest revision as of 03:27, 30 January 2023

Arkansas River
The headwaters of the Arkansas near Leadville, Colorado
The headwaters of the Arkansas near Leadville, Colorado
Origin East Fork Arkansas River, Colorado
Mouth Arkansas
Basin countries United States
Length 1,469 miles (2,364 km)
Source elevation 10,152 feet (3094 m)
Avg. discharge 41,000 ft³/s (1155 m³/s) [1]
Basin area 161,000 sq mi (416,988 sq km)

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast and traverses the United States states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. At 1,469 miles (2,364 km), the Arkansas is the sixth longest river in the United States, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system, and the 45th longest river in the world.

The river's origin is in the Rocky Mountains in Lake County, Colorado, near the town of Leadville. It enters the Mississippi at Napoleon, Arkansas 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Arkansas City, Arkansas. Principal cities along its route are Pueblo, Colorado; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Arkansas River drainage basin covers 161,000 square miles (417,000 square km), and has a total fall of 11,400 feet (3,500 m). In volume, the river is smaller than both the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, with an average discharge of at its mouth of 41,000 ft³/s (1155 m³/s).

Historically, the Arkansas River has played an important role in westward expansion. Native Americans hunted along its length, early explorers followed it westward, and from 1820 to 1846, it served as the boundary between the United States and Mexico. It continues to play an important role in the central states, feeding that region's important farmlands.

Hydrography

Arkansas River, looking across to North Little Rock, Arkansas

The Arkansas River has three distinct sections in its long path through the central United States.

At its headwaters in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near the town of Leadville Colorado, the Arkansas runs as a steep mountain torrent through the Rockies in its narrow valley, dropping 4,600 feet (1.4 km) in 120 miles (193 km). This section (including The Numbers, Brown's Canyon, and the Royal Gorge) sees extensive whitewater rafting in the spring and summer.

At Cañon City, Colorado, the Arkansas River valley widens and flattens markedly. Just west of Pueblo, Colorado, the river enters the Great Plains. Through the rest of Colorado, through Kansas, and through northern Oklahoma to Tulsa, it is a typical Great Plains riverway, with wide shallow banks subject to seasonal flooding. Tributaries include the Canadian River and the Cimarron River, both flowing from northeastern New Mexico, and the Salt Fork Arkansas River.

Below Tulsa, and continuing to its mouth, the river is navigable by barges and large river craft thanks to a series of dams that turn it into reservoirs. Above Tulsa, it is navigable only by small craft such as rafts, canoes, and kayaks.

Water flow in the Arkansas River (as measured in central Kansas) has dropped from approximately 248 cubic feet per second (7 m³/s) average from 1944-1963 to 53 cubic feet per second (1.5 m³/s) average from 1984-2003, largely because of the pumping of groundwater for irrigation in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.

Important cities along the Arkansas include Pueblo, Colorado; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas.

Riverway commerce

Inland waterway system with McClellan-Kerr Navigational Channel shown in red.

The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is part of the inland waterway system originating at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and running southeast through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River.

Though it primarily follows the Arkansas River, it also follows portions of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma and the White River in Arkansas. It includes the Arkansas Post Canal, a short canal named for nearby Arkansas Post National Memorial, connecting the Arkansas and White Rivers.

Through Oklahoma and Arkansas, dams artificially deepen and widen this modest sized river to build it into a commercially navigable body of water. Along the section of the Arkansas River that carries the McClellan-Kerr channel, the river sustains commercial barge traffic and offers passenger and recreational use, and is considered by some, a series of reservoirs.

The Arkansas River is quite shallow through Arkansas and Oklahoma, and was naturally incapable of supporting river traffic though most of the year. To allow for navigation, construction was begun in 1971 on a system of channels and locks to connect the many reservoirs along the length of the Arkansas River. The first section, running to Little Rock, Arkansas, opened in 1968. The first barge to reach the Port of Catoosa arrived in early 1971.

Each lock measures 110 feet (34 m) wide and 600 feet (180 m) long, the standard size for much of the Mississippi River waterway. Standard jumbo barges, measuring 35 by 195 feet (59 m), are grouped 3 wide by 3 long, with a tug at center rear, to form a barge packet which can be fit into a lock. Larger barge packets must be broken down and passed through the lock in sections, and rejoined on the opposite side.

The specifications for the channel itself are as follows:

  • Depth of channel: 9 feet (2.7 m) or more
  • Width of channel: mostly 250 ft (76 m). - 300 ft (91 m). (75 m to 90 m)
  • Bridge clearance: 300 ft. horizontal (90 m) 52 ft. vertical (15.6 m)

Watershed trails

Arkansas River passing through Wichita, Kansas

Many nations of Native Americans lived near or along the Arkansas River in its 1,450 mile (2334 km) stretch, but the first Europeans to see the river were members of the Coronado expedition on June 29, 1541 near the site of Dodge City, Kansas. Also in the 1540s Hernando de Soto discovered the junction of the Arkansas with the Mississippi. The name "Arkansas" was first applied by Father Jacques Marquette, who called the river Akansa in his journal of 1673. In 1806 the American explorer Zebulon Pike traveled through the river's upper reaches.

From 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty set the Arkansas as part of the frontier between the United States and Spanish Mexico, which it remained until the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War in 1846.

Later, the Santa Fe Trail followed the Arkansas through much of Kansas except for the Cimarron Cutoff from Cimarron, Kansas, to Cimarron, New Mexico, via Cimarron County, Oklahoma along the Cimarron River.

Arkansas River Compact

Fly Fishermen on the Arkansas River near Salida, Colorado

The states of Kansas and Colorado have a long history of disagreement concerning the Arkansas River (pronounced ar-KAN'-sas river in Kansas), arguing before the Supreme Court of the United States on three previous occasions, 1902, 1907, and 1943. After the 1943 action, the states developed the Arkansas River Compact, which was intended to apportion the Arkansas River between the two states. In 1985, Kansas alleged that Colorado had violated the Compact and sought legal recourse before the Supreme Court. The Court appointed a Special Master to investigate the allegations and submit recommendations to the Court.

Kansas v. Colorado refers to a number of cases heard by the Supreme Court of the United States:

  • Kansas v. Colorado, 185 U.S. 125 (1902)
  • Kansas v. Colorado, 206 U.S. 46 (1907)
  • Colorado v. Kansas, 320 U.S. 383 (1943)
  • Kansas v. Colorado, 514 U.S. 673 (1995)
  • Kansas v. Colorado, 533 U.S. 1 (2001)
  • Kansas v. Colorado, 543 U.S. 86 (2004)

In 1994, the Special Master issued his first report, which recommended that the Court find Colorado in violation of the Compact in certain respects. Since then, the Master has issued three more reports and the states have filed various objections, most of which the Court has dismissed. Kansas has filed six exceptions to the reports recommendations, and the United States has intervened to ask the Court to overrule two of them.

Gallery

Lower Arkansas River
Drought can reduce the Arkansas River so much that trees along the river cannot survive
John Martin Dam and Reservoir on the Arkansas River in Bent County, Colorado
Whitewater kayaking on the Arkansas River
The Arkansas River in Tulsa, Oklahoma
The Arkansas River in Natural Steps, Arkansas

Notes

  1. ↑ J.C. Kammerer. Largest Rivers in the United States U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved September 22, 2008.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Arkansas River Coalition. Arkansas River Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  • EarthTrends. Full Scale Map Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  • Gordon, Alice, Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Mel White, Tim Thompson, and Roger G. Kennedy. 1990. Texas and the Arkansas River Valley. The Smithsonian guide to historic America. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. ISBN 9781556701245
  • Oklahoma. 2007. McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System 2007 inland waterway fact sheet. Tulsa: ODOT Waterways Branch.


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