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The Cimarron River ( ; iow, Ñíxgu, script=Latn or , meaning 'Salt River'; chy, Hotóao'hé'e) extends across
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
,
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
, and
Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...
. The headwaters flow from Johnson Mesa west of
Folsom Folsom may refer to: People * Folsom (surname) Places in the United States * Folsom, Perry County, Alabama * Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama * Folsom, California * Folsom, Georgia * Folsom, Louisiana * Folsom, Missouri * Folsom, New Jerse ...
in northeastern New Mexico. Much of the river's length lies in Oklahoma, where it either borders or passes through eleven counties. There are no major cities along its route. The river enters the
Oklahoma Panhandle The Oklahoma Panhandle (formerly called No Man's Land, the Public Land Strip, the Neutral Strip, or Cimarron Territory) is a salient in the extreme northwestern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, consisting of Cimarron County, Texas Cou ...
near
Kenton, Oklahoma Kenton is a town in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. Kenton is the westernmost town in Oklahoma. From Kenton, it is approximately south to Amarillo, Texas, northwest to Colorado Springs, Colorado, northwest to Denver, Colorado, south ...
, crosses the southeastern corner of Colorado into Kansas, reenters the Oklahoma Panhandle, reenters Kansas, and finally returns to Oklahoma where it joins the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United ...
at Keystone Reservoir west of
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
, its only impoundment. The Cimarron drains a basin that encompasses about .Larry O'Dell, "Cimarron River," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.''
Accessed March 6, 2015.


Names and etymology

The river's present name comes from the early Spanish name, , which is usually translated as 'River of the Wild Sheep'; previous English names for the river include Grand Saline, Jefferson (in John Melish's 1820 U.S. map), Red Fork, and Salt Fork.


Description

In northeastern New Mexico and in far western Oklahoma, the river is known as the Dry Cimarron River. The Dry Cimarron is not completely dry, but sometimes its water entirely disappears under the sand in the river bed. The Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway follows the river from Folsom to the Oklahoma border. The waterway becomes simply the Cimarron River after being joined by Carrizozo Creek just inside the Oklahoma border, west of
Kenton, Oklahoma Kenton is a town in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. Kenton is the westernmost town in Oklahoma. From Kenton, it is approximately south to Amarillo, Texas, northwest to Colorado Springs, Colorado, northwest to Denver, Colorado, south ...
. Carrizozo Creek also originates in New Mexico and exits into Oklahoma before re-entering New Mexico and then returning to Oklahoma before joining the river. In Oklahoma it is further joined by
North Carrizo Creek North Carrizo Creek forms in Baca County, Colorado at the confluence of East Carrizo Creek and West Carrizo Creek, at a point about 6 miles north of the Preston Monument, the tripoint of Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico. North Carrizo Creek the ...
north-northeast of Kenton, Tesesquite Creek further to the east of Kenton, and
South Carrizo Creek South Carrizo Creek forms either just west of the Oklahoma line in New Mexico, or east inside Oklahoma to the northwest of Wheeless, Oklahoma. It is intermittent. It travels generally northeast through Black Mesa State Park where it is impounded ...
yet further to the east. It additionally joins with Cold Springs Creek, Ute Canyon Creek, and Flagg Springs Creek before crossing into Kansas. The river flows along the southern edges of Black Mesa, Oklahoma's highest point. As it first crosses the Kansas border, the river flows through the
Cimarron National Grassland Cimarron National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Morton County, Kansas, United States, with a very small part extending eastward into Stevens County. Cimarron National Grassland is located near Comanche National Grassland which i ...
. At Guthrie, the river is joined by
Cottonwood Creek (Cimarron River tributary) Cottonwood Creek is a stream that flows from rural Canadian County through portions of Logan County until it reaches its mouth at the Cimarron River, northwest of Guthrie. Significant tributaries of Cottonwood Creek include Chisholm Creek an ...
, at a site known for frequent flooding. The Cimarron's water quality is rated as poor because the river flows through natural mineral deposits, salt plains, and saline springs, where it dissolves large amounts of minerals. It also collects quantities of red soil, which it carries to its terminus. Before the Keystone Dam was built, this silt was sufficient to discolor the Arkansas River downstream.


Early explorers

The first Europeans to see the Cimarron River were apparently Spanish
conquistadores Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...
led by
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...
in 1541. The Spanish seem to have done little to exploit the area. The Osage tribe claimed most of the territory west of the confluence of the Cimarron and the Arkansas. In 1819 Thomas Nuttall explored the lower Cimarron and wrote a report describing the flora and fauna that he found there. In 1821 Mexico threw off Spanish rule and William Becknell opened the
Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...
.


Historical notes of interest

*One branch of the
Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...
, known variously as the Cimarron Route, the Cimarron Cutoff, and the Middle Crossing (of the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United ...
), ran through the Cimarron Desert and then along the Cimarron River. Lower Cimarron Spring on the riverbank was an important watering and camping spot. *In 1831
Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...
Indians killed
Jedediah Smith Jedediah Strong Smith (January 6, 1799 – May 27, 1831) was an American clerk, transcontinental pioneer, frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cartographer, mountain man and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the Western United States, an ...
(a famous hunter, trapper, and explorer) on the Santa Fe Trail near the Cimarron River. His body was never recovered. *In 1834 General
Henry Leavenworth Henry Leavenworth (December 10, 1783 – July 21, 1834) was an American soldier active in the War of 1812 and early military expeditions against the Great Plains, Plains Indigenous peoples of North America, Indians. He established Fort Leavenwor ...
established Camp Arbuckle (Fort Arbuckle) at the mouth of the Cimarron River. Later known as Old Fort Arbuckle, it was active for only about a year, and its former site is now submerged beneath the Arkansas River. It should not be confused with the later Fort Arbuckle in
Garvin County, Oklahoma Garvin County is a county in south-central Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,576. Its county seat is Pauls Valley. In 1906, delegates to Constitution Convention formed Garvin County from part of the Chickas ...
. *Historic sites along the river include the ruins of Camp Nichols, a stone fort
Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...
built in 1865 to protect travelers from raids by
Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of ...
on the Cimarron Cutoff. It was near present-day Wheeless, Oklahoma. *The old
Chisholm Trail The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The trail was established by Black Beaver, a Lenape guide and rancher, and his friend Jesse Chisholm, a Cher ...
crossed the river at Red Fork Station near present-day Dover, Oklahoma. *In the 1890s the Creek Nation Cave along the Cimarron River near Ingalls in the Oklahoma Territory, was a hideout for the Doolin gang, which included the teenage bandits
Cattle Annie Anna Emmaline McDoulet, known as Cattle Annie (November 29, 1882 – November 7, 1978), was a young American outlaw in the American Old West, most associated with Jennie Stevens, or Little Britches. Their exploits are known in part through t ...
and Little Britches. *On September 18, 1906, a bridge across the Cimarron near Dover, Oklahoma Territory, collapsed beneath a Rock Island train bound for
Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...
from Chicago. The bridge was a temporary structure unable to withstand the pressure of debris and high water. The railroad had delayed replacing it with a permanent structure for financial reasons. Several sources report that over 100 people were killed, but the figure is disputed. The true number may be as low as four.


Notes


See also

*
List of rivers of Colorado This is a list of streams in the U.S. State of Colorado. __TOC__ Alphabetical list The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, t ...
* List of rivers of Kansas *
List of rivers of New Mexico A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
* List of rivers of Oklahoma * List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem) *
Cimarron National Grassland Cimarron National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Morton County, Kansas, United States, with a very small part extending eastward into Stevens County. Cimarron National Grassland is located near Comanche National Grassland which i ...
* Folsom Falls *
Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage of ...
National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to ...
(NWR) *
Point of Rocks (Kansas) Point of Rocks is a cliff in Morton County, Kansas which was one of three landmarks by the same name on the Santa Fe Trail. This one was on the Cimarron Cutoff. It is now part of Cimarron National Grassland Cimarron National Grassland is a Nat ...
*
Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...


References


Further reading

*Anshutz, Carrie W. Schmoker; M.W. (Doc) Anshutz. ''Cimarron Chronicles: Saga of the Open Range''. Meade, Kansas: Ohnick Enterprises, 2003. *Dary, David. ''The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore''. New York: Penguin, 2002 (Reissue). *Hanners, Laverne; Ed Lord. ''The Lords of the Valley: Including the Complete Text of Our Unsheltered Lives''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996. *Hoig, Stan. ''Beyond the Frontier: Exploring the Indian Country''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. *Schumm, Stanley A. ''Channel Widening and Flood-Plain Construction along Cimarron River in Southwestern Kansas: Erosion and Sedimentation in a Semiarid Environment''. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1963. ISBN B0007EFJLY *Schumm, Stanley A. ''River Variability and Complexity''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. *Stovall, John Willis. ''Geology of the Cimarron River Valley in Cimarron County, Oklahoma''. Chicago, 1938. *Woodhouse, S. W. (Eds. John S. Tomer, Michael J. Brodhead). ''A Naturalist in Indian Territory: The Journals of S.W. Woodhouse, 1849–50'' (The American Exploration and Travel Series, Vol 72). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996.


External links

*
Santa Fe Trail Research SiteMouth of the Cimarron
TopoQuest.
Headwaters of the Cimarron
TopoQuest.
Cimarron National Grassland
USDA Forest Service.
Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway
New Mexico Historic Markers.

''(Eco-History Trails and Tales)''
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' – Cimarron River

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{authority control Rivers of New Mexico Rivers of Oklahoma Rivers of Colorado Rivers of Kansas Tributaries of the Arkansas River Rivers of Colfax County, New Mexico Rivers of Union County, New Mexico Rivers of Creek County, Oklahoma Rivers of Osage County, Oklahoma Rivers of Pawnee County, Oklahoma Rivers of Tulsa County, Oklahoma Rivers of Payne County, Oklahoma Rivers of Logan County, Oklahoma Rivers of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma Rivers of Blaine County, Oklahoma Rivers of Major County, Oklahoma Rivers of Woods County, Oklahoma Rivers of Woodward County, Oklahoma Rivers of Harper County, Oklahoma Rivers of Beaver County, Oklahoma Rivers of Cimarron County, Oklahoma Rivers of Baca County, Colorado Rivers of Clark County, Kansas Rivers of Comanche County, Kansas Rivers of Meade County, Kansas Rivers of Seward County, Kansas Rivers of Haskell County, Kansas Rivers of Grant County, Kansas Rivers of Stevens County, Kansas Rivers of Morton County, Kansas