Washita River
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The Washita River forms in eastern Roberts County, Texas () near the town of Miami, Texas in the Texas Panhandle. The river is 295 miles long and terminates into Lake Texoma in Johnston County (also Bryan County and Marshall County - ), Oklahoma and the Red River.
It crosses Hemphill County, Texas and enters Oklahoma in Roger Mills County. In Oklahoma it cuts through the Oklahoma Counties of: Roger Mills, Custer, Washita, Caddo, Grady, Garvin, Murray, Carter, and Johnston. Lake Texoma is the border between Bryan County and Marshall County.
Along its path, the Foss Reservoir dams the Washita River. Several reservoirs along the Washita River valley hold the waters of small tributaries, including Fort Cobb Lake, Lake Chickasha, and Arbuckle Reservoir. The river passes through or near the Oklahoma towns of Cheyenne, Clinton, Carnegie, Anadarko, Chickasha, and Pauls Valley.
The river bisects the heart of the Anadarko Basin, according to the USGS the Anadarko Basin is the fifth largest natural gas formation area discovered in the United States.
When the river reaches the Arbuckle Mountains it drops 150 fpm as it cuts through a granite gorge, making it a popular whitewater attraction for local kayakers.
The Battle of Washita River (or Battle of the Washita) occurred on November 27, 1868 when Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th U.S. Cavalry attacked Black Kettle’s Cheyenne village on the Washita River (near present day Cheyenne, Oklahoma) at dawn.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Washita River from the Handbook of Texas Online
