Fourche Maline (pronounced foosh-ma-lean) (''Bad Fork'', French) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed June 3, 2011 tributary of the

Poteau River The Poteau River is a river located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma extending 141 miles (227 kilometers).U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 It is the ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. The headwaters of Fourche Maline are in the Sans Bois Mountains in northwest Latimer County. It flows southwestward through Robbers Cave State Park, then southeastward past

Wilburton Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely. While nominally an agricultural village, many residents work in Cambridge, Ely or London. History Wilburton i ...

before turning eastward until it reaches the Poteau River in Le Flore County. Fourche Maline's

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the Poteau River is now submerged in Lake Wister, about south of the confluence. The distance from origin to confluence is about ''Wister Lake O & M Program, Poteau River: Environmental Impact Statement''. June 2002. p. 3.
Accessed November 15, 2016. Oklahoma Historian Muriel Wright translated the French name as meaning "treacherous fork" in English.Wright, Muriel. "Some Geographic Names of French Origin in Oklahoma." ''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. Vol. 7, No. 2, June 1929.
Accessed November 14, 2016. During the days of the

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

, Fourche Maline served as the boundary between Skullyville County and Sugar Loaf County, two of the constituent counties making up the

Moshulatubbee District Moshulatubbee District was one of three provinces, or districts, comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the First District, it encompassed the northern one-third of the nation. In some historic records it is spel ...

of the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo, exceeding t ...

Fishing

Fourche Maline is habitat for the following species of fish:walleye, bream, bluegill, catfish, smallmouth bass, carp and rainbow trout. According to the Hook and Bullet source, the stream is about from Wister. A section of Fourche Maline downstream of Carlton Lake Dam to the South Boundary of Robbers Cave Park is listed as a good area for rainbow trout by the blog Troutster."Oklahoma Trout Fishing." Trotter.com.
Accessed November 15, 2016. The same blog warns that trout generally fare poorly in Oklahoma summers. The state restocks trout every winter, starting November 1. At the Fourche Maline, the stocking season ends March 15."Warm Water Delays Trout Stocking at 2 Seasonal Sites." Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. October 26, 2016.
Accessed November 16, 2016.

Notes

References

External links

Headwaters of Fourche Maline-Map from TopoQuest
(accessed June 29, 2008).
Mouth of Fourche Maline-Map from TopoQuest
(accessed June 29, 2008). * {{authority control Bodies of water of Latimer County, Oklahoma Rivers of Oklahoma Tributaries of the Arkansas River