Verdigris River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about 280 miles (451 km) long. Via the Arkansas, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.
Contents |
[edit] Course
The Verdigris is formed near Madison, Kansas by the convergence of two short headwaters streams, its North and South Forks, and flows generally southward throughout its course. South of Coffeyville, the river enters Oklahoma. It joins the Arkansas River near Muskogee, about a mile upstream of the mouth of the Neosho River.
[edit] Dams and transportation
Dams built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cause the Verdigris to form Toronto Lake near Toronto, Kansas and Oologah Lake near Oologah, Oklahoma.
From just north of Catoosa, Oklahoma to its confluence with the Arkansas, barge traffic is maintained on the river as part of the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System, which consists of a series of locks and dams on both streams and allows commercial navigation between the Tulsa area and the Mississippi River.
[edit] Tributaries
In Kansas, the Verdigris collects the Fall River at the town of Neodesha and the Elk River at the town of Independence. In Oklahoma it collects the Caney River in Rogers County.
[edit] Cities and towns along the river
- Altoona, Kansas
- Benedict, Kansas
- Coffeyville, Kansas
- Independence, Kansas
- Madison, Kansas
- Neodesha, Kansas
- Okay, Oklahoma
- Toronto, Kansas
