Cottonwood River is one of the principal tributaries of the

Neosho River The Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National ...

in central

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 the ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Course

The

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 wate ...

begins near the west line of Marion County as two tributaries, the North Cottonwood River and the South Cottonwood River. They both start within 2 miles of each other, and within a few miles northwest of Lehigh.Marion County Map; KDOT.
/ref> The North Cottonwood starts near the west line of Marion County, crosses into McPherson County and roughly parallels the county line northward for 5 miles, then crosses back into Marion County.McPherson County Map; KDOT.
/ref> It flows through

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

then into the

Marion Reservoir Marion Reservoir is a body of water on the Cottonwood River, north-west of Marion, on the western edge of the Flint Hills region of Kansas in the United States. It was completed in 1968 and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers for the p ...

. The South Cottonwood also starts near the west line of Marion County, flows southward about 1 mile west of Lehigh, then flows eastward about 2 miles south of Hillsboro, then northeast towards the lower side of the Marion Reservoir. The North and South Cottonwood join about 1 mile southeast of the Marion Reservoir to become the North Fork Cottonwood River, before flowing through the city of

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

. The river flows southeast to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, then eastward towards Chase County.Chase County Map; KDOT.
/ref> In Chase County, it flows northeast through

Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and op ...

then near

Clements Clement may refer to: People * Clements (surname) Places * Clements, California, U.S. * Clements, Kansas, U.S. * Clements, Maryland, U.S. * Clements, Minnesota, U.S. * Clements, West Virginia, U.S. * Port Clements, British Columbia, Canada Zoo ...

and Elmdale. It then flows eastward through Strong City, Cottonwood Falls. The South Fork Cottonwood River starts south of Matfield Green, then flows northward along the east side of Matfield Green and

Bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

. It merges with the North Fork Cottonwood River about 3 miles east of Cottonwood Falls then flows eastward near Saffordville and across into Lyon County near Plymouth, Kansas, then along the south edge of Emporia. It flows into the

about 5 miles east of Emporia.Lyon County Map; KDOT.
/ref>

History

In 1806,

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson th ...

led the

Pike Expedition The Pike Expedition (July 15, 1806 – July 1, 1807) was a military party sent out by President Thomas Jefferson and authorized by the United States government to explore the south and west of the recent Louisiana Purchase.Berry, Trey; Pam ...

westward from

St Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

, of which part of their journey followed the Cottonwood River through Marion County near the current towns of

, Marion,

Cities and towns along the river

* Elmdale * Strong City * Cottonwood Falls * Saffordville * Emporia

Tributaries

* Cedar Creek * Diamond Creek * Doyle Creek * Jacobs Creek

Lakes

The following lakes are located in the Cottonwood River drainage basin: *

, northwest of

. *

Marion County Lake Marion County Lake is a body of water, southeast of Marion at 170th Street, on the western edge of the Flint Hills region of Kansas in the United States. This small lake is not the larger Marion Reservoir, which is northwest of Marion. Geograph ...

, southeast of Marion. * Chase County State Lake, west of Cottonwood Falls. * Camp Wood YMCA Lake, south of Elmdale. * Peabody Country Club Lake, south of Peabody.

Bridges

The following bridges over the Cottonwood River are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

list: * 1916 Cottonwood River Pratt Truss Bridge, 0.8 miles west of

(). * 1886 Clements Stone Arch Bridge, 0.5 miles southeast of

(). * 1914 Cottonwood River Bridge, north edge of Cottonwood Falls (). * 1923 Soden's Grove Bridge, south edge of Emporia ().

Gallery

File:Cottonwood River Pratt Truss Bridge.JPG, 1916 Cottonwood River Pratt Truss Bridge west of

(2012) File:Cedar Point Mill, Cedar Point Kansas.JPG, Cedar Point Mill in

(2012) File:Cottonwood River Bridge.JPG, 1914 Cottonwood River Bridge in Cottonwood Falls (2012) Image:Emporiabridge.JPG, 1923 Soden's Grove Bridge over Cottonwood River in Emporia (2005)

References

External links

* ;Cottonwood River current depth and history:
west edge of Marion

1 mile east of Florence

1 mile southwest of Plymouth
(between Strong City and Emporia)
4 miles east of Emporia
{{authority control Rivers of Kansas Rivers of McPherson County, Kansas Rivers of Marion County, Kansas Rivers of Chase County, Kansas Rivers of Lyon County, Kansas