Kansas Rivers - Page 6

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Verdigris River - A tributary of the Arkansas River  in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma, it is about 280 miles long.

It has a history dating back more than two centuries -- mentioned by Zebulon Montgomery Pike during his visit to the area in 1806 and also by Thomas Nuttall in 1818. The river flows through a rich country that in early days produced much in the way of furs. A number of trading posts were located along its course from time to time, the most important of which was probably that operated by a man named Hugh Glenn in 1819, located at a point about a mile above its confluence with the Arkansas River. Chief Clermont's band of Osage Indians was located on the stream about this time and is mentioned by Stephen H. Long in his travels.

Port of Catoosa on the Verdigris River near Tulsa,

Oklahoma,  David Alexander, June, 2004.

Clinton Dam on the Wakarusa River near Lawrence, Kansas, photo by John Charlton, courtesy Kansas Geoogical Survey.

One of the earliest mentions of the water way was by Stephen H. Long, the explorer, in 1819. The name is said to come from an Indian legend, which says that a maiden, during a time when the stream was overflowing, sought to cross the the waterway on horseback. As she proceeded across, the waters became deeper and deeper, until her body was half immersed and she exclaimed, "Wakarusa!', meaning hip deep.

This river was first inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Kanza and Osage in the 18th century and after the U.S. acquired this region, the Shawnee people were relocated here. The Methodist Episcopal mission was located near the mouth of the stream in about 1842.

During the Great Migration of 1843, the fords used for crossing this meandering river were among the many challenges emigrant wagon trains had to master along the Fremont-Westport Trail, which was later called the California trail during the 1849 gold rush. Also traveling along the river were wagon trains along the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails Several Shawnee Indians created ferry operations at river crossings in the 1850s, including Blue Jacket's Ferry near Coal Creek at Sebastian. During the troublous times of the early territorial days the region along the Wakarusa River was the scene of much strife between the pro-slavery and free-state forces, the celebrated "Wakarusa war" being fought there on November 27, 1855.

Clinton Dam, located near Lawrence was completed in 1977 to reduce seasonal spring flooding. Though this greatly reduced the replenishment of wetlands below the dam, a remaining tract of 600 acres, known as the the Haskell-Baker Wetlands, is located south of Lawrence near the Haskell Indian Nations University.

Walnut River - Situated in southeastern Kansas, the Walnut River has its source in two forks which rise in the northern part of Butler County. Cole and Durechon Creeks unite at a point about a mile southwest of the village of Chelsea to form the waterway, which was known in the past as the "Little Verdigris River." It flows in a southwest direction past the city of Eldorado, Augusta, and Winfield before making a turn almost due south and emptying into the Arkansas River south of Arkansas City in Cowley County. The river has a number of small tributaries, the most prominent of which are the Whitewater River on the west and the Little Walnut and Rock Creeks on the east. The river is approximately 121 miles in length, making its way through the Flint Hills region of Kansas. Upstream of El Dorado, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam causes the river to form El Dorado Lake, along which a Kansas state park has been designated.
 

Whitewater River - Also known as Whitewater Creek, the stream is situated in southern Kansas. The waterway rises in the southern part of Marion County about six miles west of the village of Burns, flows south and unites with the Walnut River at a point about a mile south of the town of Augusta in Butler County. The stream has only one tributary of consequence -- the West Branch Whitewater River, which has its source near the town of Walton in Harvey County, and unites with the Whitewater a little north of the village of Towanda in Butler County. The length of the stream is about 35 miles long. During the 1860s, a man named James R. Mead of Wichita had a ranch and trading post on the Whitewater River, where the town of Towanda now stands. In 1868 the Nineteenth Kansas Cavalry, while on the march to the Indian Territory, stopped at Mead's Ranch for supplies on the evening of November 11th.

Wolf River - A tributary of the Missouri River in northeastern Kansas, it rises in Brown County, approximately three miles north of Powhattan. It then flows generally eastwardly into Doniphan County, past the communities of Robinson, Leona, and Severance. Near Severance, the river turns northward; it flows into the Missouri River approximately eight miles southeast of White Cloud. Throughout the years, the waterway has also been known as Wolf Creek, Petite Riviere de Cansez, Riviere du Loup, and Shun-ta-nesh-nanga.
 

Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of Kansas, updated February, 2010.