The Baron Fork of the Illinois River is a tributary of the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

in the U.S. states of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. The stream is sometimes called Baron Fork River, Barren Fork Creek or simply Barren Fork.

Etymology

Official Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) highway signs call the stream Baron Fork. According to a 2009 article in the ''Tahlequah Daily Press'', that designation is rather modern, coming into use during the 1970s. Older maps and documents refer to the stream as Barren Fork. Ed Fite, administrator of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, is quoted as saying that Barren Fork is more accurate historically. Fite says that when explorers came up the Illinois River, they found the creek had no water and named it Barren Fork. Even the U. S. Geological Survey maps used the name Barren Fork until the 1970s, then changed to Baron Fork thereafter. The 2009 article points out that the book, "Oklahoma Place Names," listed a former community in Adair County had a post office from November 12, 1895 until December 31, 1942, named Barren Fork,"...from the Barren Fork tributary of the Illinois River."Ridge, Betty. "Steeley or Steely? Baron or Barren?," ''Tahlequah Daily Press''. April 27, 2009.
Accessed August 30, 2015.

Course

The stream rises south of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

Washington County, Arkansas Washington County is a regional economic, educational, and cultural hub in the Northwest Arkansas region. Created as Arkansas's 17th county on November 30, 1848, Washington County has 13 incorporated municipalities, including Fayetteville, Arka ...

and flows southwest past Dutch Mills passing under

Arkansas Highway 59 Arkansas Highway 59 is a north–south state highway in Northwest Arkansas. The route runs from Arkansas Highway 22 in Barling north to the Missouri state line through Van Buren, the county seat of Crawford County. Highway 59 parallels US 59 ...

, then westerly into

Adair County, Oklahoma Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,286. Its county seat is Stilwell. Adair County was named after the Adair family of the Cherokee tribe. One source says that the coun ...

passing under

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

near

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

and on into

Cherokee County, Oklahoma Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,987. Its county seat is Tahlequah, which is also the capital of the Cherokee Nation.Burnett, Amanda"Cherokee County,"''Encyclope ...

. It empties into the main branch of the Illinois River near the community of

Welling, Oklahoma Welling is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 771 at the 2010 census, an increase of 15.25 percent over the figure of 669 recorded in 2000. It is home to Th ...

, just upstream of

Lake Tenkiller Tenkiller Ferry Lake, or more simply, "Lake Tenkiller," is a reservoir in eastern Oklahoma formed by the damming of the Illinois River (Oklahoma), Illinois River. The earth-fill dam was constructed between 1947 and 1952 by the United States Army ...

.Oklahoma Conservation Commission. "$26.4 Million to Upgrade Failing Dams"
March 25, 2014. Accessed August 28, 2015. The stream drains an area of in the two states and is said to be the largest contributor to Oklahoma's

.Krause, Robert. "Illinois River," ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture''. 2011.
Accessed August 18, 2015. Its tributaries include Jordan Creek in Arkansas and Evansville Creek, Shell Branch, Peavine Creek, and Tyner Creek, all in Oklahoma. Baron Fork was designated a Scenic River by the Oklahoma legislature in 1970, pursuant to the state's Scenic Rivers Act.Smithee, Derek. ''Brief History of Baron Fork Creek Instream Flow Provisions''. Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Undated.
Accessed August 20, 2015.

Recreation

Fishing is a popular sport along the Baron Fork. A news station once named the creek as "one of Oklahoma's 10 best streams." The item stated that the best access to the creek was in

. It cited smallmouth bass, black bass and sand bass fishing as being particularly good.Godfrey, Ed. "Oklahoma's top 10 streams. NewsOK. May 29, 2005.
Accessed August 20, 2015.

References

{{authority control Illinois River (Oklahoma) Tributaries of the Arkansas River Rivers of Washington County, Arkansas Bodies of water of Adair County, Oklahoma Bodies of water of Cherokee County, Oklahoma