The Arikaree River is a
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 w ...
in the central
Great Plains of
North America. It lies mostly in the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
state of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
, draining land between the North and South Forks of the
Republican River, and it flows into the North Fork in
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
after flowing a short distance through
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
.
It is a designated area within the
Colorado Natural Areas Program to protect native and uncommon species that may be endangered or threatened.
Name
The river is named after the
Arikara
Arikara (), also known as Sahnish,
''Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.'' (Retrieved Sep 29, 2011) Native Americans, whose name refers to "horn".
Geography
The source of the Arikaree River is in extreme eastern
Elbert County, Colorado
Elbert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,062. The county seat is Kiowa and the largest town is Elizabeth.
Elbert County is included in the Denver-Aurora- Lakewood, CO Metr ...
on the western edge of the
High Plains High Plains refers to one of two distinct land regions:
* High Plains (United States), land region of the western Great Plains
*High Plains (Australia)
The High Plains of south-eastern Australia are a sub-region, or more strictly a string of adja ...
region of the
Great Plains.
From there, the river flows generally northeast across the High Plains in
eastern Colorado. It then crosses the extreme northwestern corner of
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
before entering far southwestern
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
. At the town of
Haigler, the Arikaree joins with the
North Fork Republican River
The North Fork Republican River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 29, 2011 tributary of the Republican River. It flows eastward from a source in Yuma County, Colo ...
to form the
Republican River.
[
The point where the Arikaree River flows out of ]Yuma County, Colorado
Yuma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,988. The county seat is Wray.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and ...
and into Cheyenne County, Kansas
Cheyenne County (county code CN) is a county located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,616. Its county seat and most populous city is St. Francis.
History
Early history ...
, located at , is the lowest point in Colorado at an elevation of . It holds the distinction of being the highest low point of any U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
, higher than the ''highest'' points of 18 states and the District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
.
History
Along the river is the site of the 1868 Battle of Beecher Island
The Battle of Beecher Island, also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was an armed conflict between elements of the United States Army and several of the Plains Native American tribes in September 1868. Beecher Island, on the Arikaree Rive ...
.
Arikaree River Natural Area
The Arikaree River has been made one of the designated areas under the Colorado Natural Areas Program because it is "part of the largest and best remaining example of a naturally functioning Great Plains river system in Colorado." It has several species of reptiles, fish, and amphibians that are native and uncommon. The area is a sanctuary for many bird species, including burrowing owl
The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or an ...
s, ferruginous hawk
The ferruginous hawk, (''Buteo regalis''), is a large bird of prey and belongs to the broad-winged buteo hawks. An old colloquial name is ferrugineous rough-leg, due to its similarity to the closely related rough-legged hawk (''B. lagopus'').
...
s, and greater prairie chicken
The greater prairie chicken or pinnated grouse (''Tympanuchus cupido''), sometimes called a boomer,Friederici, Peter (July 20, 1989)"The Last Prairie Chickens" ''Chicago Reader''. Retrieved August 27, 2014.(Chinese ä¸æ–‡ï¼šå¸•è‰ºæ˜Žå½©å¤§å‡¤å‡ ...
s. The habitat is near-pristine and there are high-quality riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...
and native prairie plants.
See also
* Arikaree Breaks
* Beecher Island
* List of Colorado rivers
This is a list of streams in the U.S. State of Colorado.
__TOC__
Alphabetical list
The following alphabetical list includes many important streams that flow through the State of Colorado, including all 158 named rivers. Where available, th ...
* List of Kansas rivers
This is a list of rivers in Kansas ( U.S. state).
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Mississippi River Basin
Arkansas River Basin
*Arkansas River
...
* List of Nebraska rivers
This is a partial list of rivers in Nebraska (U.S. state).
By tributary Missouri River
*''Cheyenne River (SD)''
**Hat Creek
* White River
*Niobrara River
** Burgess Creek
** Bingham Creek
**Snake River
** Long Pine Creek
**Keya Paha River
**Ve ...
References
External links
Arikaree River - lowest point in Colorado
{{authority control
Lowest points of U.S. states
Rivers of Colorado
Rivers of Kansas
Rivers of Nebraska
Bodies of water of Dundy County, Nebraska
Tributaries of the Kansas River
Rivers of Lincoln County, Colorado
Bodies of water of Cheyenne County, Kansas
Rivers of Yuma County, Colorado