tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
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 ...
in eastern
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 ...
and northeastern
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 ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. Its tributaries also drain portions of
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
and
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
. The
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...
is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data The National Map accessed May 31, 2011 Via the Arkansas, it is part of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
. Its name is an Osage word meaning "clear water." The lower section is also known as the Grand River.
Course
The Neosho's headwaters are in
Morris County, Kansas
Morris County (standard abbreviation: MR) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,386. The largest city and county seat is Council Grove.
History
Early history
For many millennia ...
, and it flows southeast through Kansas. In
Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Ottawa County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,285. Its county seat is Miami. The county was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.Muskogee, about a mile downstream of the confluence of the Arkansas River and the Verdigris River. The area of convergence of the three rivers Arkansas, Verdigris and Neosho is called "Three Forks."
In Oklahoma the Neosho ends at its confluence with Spring River at the Twin Bridges Area at Grand Lake State Park. From that point on it is called the Grand River. The Grand River flows south to the Grand Lake.
Dams
The Neosho has been dammed at several points along its course, in most cases by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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. In Kansas, a dam upstream of Council Grove forms Council Grove Lake, and a dam near New Strawn forms John Redmond Reservoir. There are also 12 dams in between John Redmond and the Kansas border, including lowhead dams at Burlington, Neosho Falls, Iola, Humboldt, two near Chanute and Erie. In Oklahoma, a dam at Langley forms the Neosho's largest reservoir, the
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees is situated in Northeast Oklahoma in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range. It is often simply called Grand Lake. It is administered by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA).
History
The ''Encyclopedia of Oklaho ...
Americus, Kansas
Americus is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 776. It is located northwest of the city of Emporia. Americus is often a waypoint in some Unbound Gravel bike races.
History
Am ...
*
Burlington, Kansas
Burlington is a city in and the county seat of Coffey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,634.
History
Burlington was founded in 1857. It was named after Burlington, Vermont, the native ...
Disney, Oklahoma
Disney is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 311 at the 2010 census. The town is named for former Oklahoma U.S. Congressman Wesley E. Disney and has no affiliation with The Walt Disney Company or Walt Disney.
...
*
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 24,139. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 33 ...
*
Erie, Kansas
Erie is a city in and the county seat of Neosho County, Kansas, United States, and situated in the valley of the Neosho River, about a mile Northeast of the river. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,047.
History
A settlem ...
Hartford, Kansas
Hartford is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 355.
History
Hartford was laid out in 1858. Some of its founders were original natives of Hartford, Connecticut, hence the name.
...
*
Humboldt, Kansas
Humboldt is a city in Allen County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,847.
History
19th century
Humboldt, named after Baron von Humboldt, was founded in ...
Miami, Oklahoma
Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom.
This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capita ...
*
Neosho Falls, Kansas
Neosho Falls is a city in Woodson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 134.
History
Neosho Falls was founded in 1857, making it the oldest town and first county seat in Woodson County. It was n ...
Oswego, Kansas
Oswego is a city in and the county seat of Labette County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,668.
History
Oswego is located on the site of an Osage village ca ...
*
Parkerville, Kansas
Parkerville is a city in Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 46.
History
A post office was established in Parkersville on August 9, 1870, then renamed to Parkerville on June 23, 1892. ...
*
Pensacola, Oklahoma
Pensacola is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 125 at the 2010 census, which represented a 76 percent increase from the figure of 71 recorded in 2000.
History
The history of Pensacola began ''circa'' 1840, with ...
Salina, Oklahoma
Salina ( ) is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,396 at the 2010 census, a slight decline from the figure of 1,422 recorded in 2000.
History
For thousands of years indigenous peoples had lived along the rivers ...
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
, the Neosho River has also been known as:
* Grand River, particularly past the confluence of the Neosho and Spring rivers in Oklahoma—see
Grand River (Oklahoma)
The Grand River is an alternate name for the lower section of the Neosho River, a tributary of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma. "Grand River" refers to the section of river below the confluence of the Neosho and Spring rivers in Ottawa County ...
* Le Grande Riviere
* Nee Ozho River
* Neozhoo River
* Ni-u-sho River
* Niocho River
* Nion-chou River
* Noshow River
* Osage River
* Rio Blanco
* Six Bulls River