The Walnut River is a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...
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 Colorado, specifically ...
, long,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
accessed March 29, 2011 in the
Flint Hills region of
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Via the Arkansas, it is part of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
watershed.
According to the
GNIS
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the associated states of the Marshal ...
, the river has also been known in the past as the "Little
Verdigris River".
Course
The Walnut River rises in northern
Butler County and flows generally southward through Butler and
Cowley Counties, past the towns of
El Dorado
El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions â ...
,
Augusta,
Winfield and
Douglass. It joins the Arkansas River at
Arkansas City. The Walnut's principal tributaries are the
Whitewater River, which joins it at Augusta, and the
Little Walnut River, which joins it in southern Butler County. The Walnut River drainage basin comprises in an ecoregion characterized by rocky, rolling hills and prairie. Elevations range from in the basin. Average precipitation, mostly summer rainfall, varies from annually.
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and Historical ecology#Anthropogenic fire, anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to th ...
is the most common vegetation, covering 66 percent of the land. Crop land covers 23 percent and woodlands cover five percent. Major crops are wheat, soybeans, cotton, hay, sorgum, and corn. Cattle are the most important livestock.
["Walnut River Basin." http://www.kwo.org/Kansas%20Plan/SWP/KWP_2008/Vol_III_Docs/WAL/Rpt_WAL_Basin_Description_KWP2009.pdf]
Upstream of El Dorado, a
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
causes the river to form
El Dorado Lake, along which a Kansas
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
has been designated. The lake consists of about of water with another 8,000 acres of land along its shores designated as park and wildlife areas.
The other large lake in the Walnut River basin is Winfield City Lake with of water surrounded by of parkland. Both lakes offer recreational opportunities including fishing, boating, hunting, camping, and wildlife observation.
In Winfield, the east side of the old Tunnel Mill Dam is a public fishing spot. It is staged directly near the old Kickapoo Corral. The west side of the dam and the Kickapoo Corral are both privately owned and closed to the public. A whirlpool is created by a hole in solid limestone about down on the river bed directly off the cliffs of the Corral. The bottom is sandy and somewhat rocky.
Historical sites
Near the mouth of the Walnut River, in eastern
Arkansas City, are a large number of archaeological sites, including the historical city of
Etzanoa, a
Wichita settlement that flourished between 1450 and 1700 and housed perhaps 20,000 people. This site was visited in 1601 by
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
governor
Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador, explorer and viceroy of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain, in the present-day U.S. state of New Mexico. He led early Spanish expedition ...
.
Festival
The
Walnut Valley Festival is held along the banks in Winfield.
See also
*
List of Kansas rivers
Sources
Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry*
DeLorme
DeLorme Publishing Company is a producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company's main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and rec ...
(2003). ''Kansas Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. .
External links
Corps of Engineers' El Dorado Lake websiteEl Dorado State Park website
*
{{authority control
Rivers of Kansas
Rivers of Butler County, Kansas
Rivers of Cowley County, Kansas
Tributaries of the Arkansas River