![Kayaking Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Kayaking_Deep_Fork_Wildlife_Refuge_Oklahoma.jpg)
The Deep Fork River (Deep Fork of the North Canadian) is an Oklahoma tributary of the
North Canadian River
The North Canadian River is a river, long, in Oklahoma in the United States. It is a tributary of the Canadian River, draining an area of U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset/Watershed Boundary Dataset, area data covering North ...
. The headwaters flow from northern Oklahoma City and the river empties into the
North Canadian River
The North Canadian River is a river, long, in Oklahoma in the United States. It is a tributary of the Canadian River, draining an area of U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset/Watershed Boundary Dataset, area data covering North ...
, now impounded by
Lake Eufaula.
Course and characteristics
The Deep Fork begins in and around northern
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
and flows eastward through
Oklahoma County
Oklahoma County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 718,633, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and largest ci ...
where five miles of the river is impounded by
Arcadia Lake. Below the lake the river crosses into
Lincoln County, winds back and forth across the
Creek–
Okfuskee
Okfuskee are a Muscogee tribe. Alternative spellings include the traditional Mvskoke spelling "Akfvske", referring to the tribal town in Alabama, and the comparable spelling Oakfuskee. They formed part of the former Creek (Muscogee) Confederacy in ...
county lines, crosses into
Okmulgee County, meanders through the
Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge
The Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge (DFNWR) is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges, and is a critical resource for wildfowl that migrate along the Central Flyway in Spring and Fall. The land within its legal boundarie ...
near the city of
Okmulgee, and empties into Eufaula Lake near the Okmulgee–
McIntosh County line. Communities along the waterway include
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
,
Luther
Luther may refer to:
People
* Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement
* Luther (give ...
,
Wellston,
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
,
Sparks, and
Welty.
The Deep Fork has a total length of and has a long narrow drainage basin averaging in width. The Deep Fork flows through a region of red sandstone hills and red soils and the river is of the same color. The river is channelized in its upper course. The Deep Fork runs in a narrow channel, about wide at normal flow, frequently obstructed by fallen trees, and often enclosed by steep red clay banks as high as . The river is prone to flooding, especially in its lower course where it is bordered by an extensive area of wetlands, temporary and oxbow lakes, and a deciduous bottom land forest, some of which is included in the Deep Fork NWR. The upper courses of the river are usually bordered by a narrow band of forest.
The Deep Fork is popular for fishing, especially for large
flathead catfish
The flathead catfish (''Pylodictis olivaris''), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. It is the only species of the genus '' ...
. Water quality is considered fair in most of the river. Kayaking and canoeing are also popular. The National Wildlife Refuge has walking trails and blinds for wildlife observation and features a large number of waterfowl and other birds, both migratory and permanent.
Tributaries
![Spring Creek, Deep Fork Tributary, Edmond OK in Hafer Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Spring_Creek%2C_Deep_Fork_Tributary%2C_Edmond_OK_in_Hafer_Park.jpg)
Spring Creek is a Deep Fork tributary that begins south of downtown
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ci ...
, just south of
Edmond Memorial High School
Edmond Memorial High School is a public secondary school located in Edmond, Oklahoma, one of three high schools in the Edmond school district. It serves approximately 2,300 students.
History
The school was originally named Edmond High School b ...
, and runs easterly. It flows into Arcadia Lake at Spring Creek Park. The western portion of the creek's watershed is heavily populated and the name is applied to many retail and residential developments in south Edmond. A Spring Creek Trail was approved for construction to run along the creek about 3 miles from
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
east to Spring Creek Park., and was completed.
Discharge
The Deep Fork has a mean annual discharge of
History
During its
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
days, the Deep Fork divided the
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
and
Kickapoo reserves of present-day
Lincoln County. Also, the Deep Fork District of the Creek (
Muscogee
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands[Okfuskee County
Okfuskee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, its population was 12,191. Its county seat is Okemah. The county is named for a former Muscogee town in present Cleburne County, Alabama, that in turn w ...]
.
In the 1880s, the Deep Fork bottom west of Christian Wells' trading post (present-day
Wellston) became a center of
Boomer activity. Soldiers from
Fort Reno constantly patrolled the area after Wells hired several of
David Payne's lieutenants to work at his store. The troopers rounded up Boomers on a number of occasions and returned them to Kansas.
The river is the subject of the song "Deep Fork River Blues,"
written and performed by folk singer and songwriter
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. . Paxton lived in
Bristow Bristow, or Bristowe, can refer to the following.
People
* Bristow (surname)
* W.S. Bristowe (1901–1979), English naturalist
Places
;In the United States
* Bristow, Indiana
* Bristow, Iowa
* Bristow, Mississippi
* Bristow, Missouri
* Bristow ...
, Oklahoma, during his youth.
References
Sources
*Kappler, Charles (Ed.)
PART III.—EXECUTIVE ORDERS RELATING TO INDIAN RESERVES, (Indian Territory 840-844) ''Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties''. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1904. 1:840-844 (accessed August 28, 2006).
*United States Geological Survey
Source of Deep Fork River(accessed August 28, 2006).
*United States Geological Survey
Mouth of Deep Fork River(accessed August 28, 2006).
External links
Deep Fork National Wildlife RefugeDeep Fork National Wildlife Refuge on TravelOK.comOklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory*
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Rivers of Oklahoma
Tributaries of the Arkansas River
Rivers of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Rivers of Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Rivers of Creek County, Oklahoma
Rivers of Okfuskee County, Oklahoma
Rivers of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma