Fourche Maline (pronounced foosh-ma-lean) (''Bad Fork'', French) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed June 3, 2011 tributary of the

Poteau River The Poteau River is a 141-mile (227 km)U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 long river located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is the only riv ...

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 headwaters of Fourche Maline are in the Sans Bois Mountains in northwest Latimer County. It flows southwestward through

Robbers Cave State Park Robbers Cave State Park is a state park in Latimer County, Oklahoma. It is located north of Wilburton, Oklahoma, on State Highway 2. Originally named Latimer State Park, it received its current name in 1936. It is located in the scenic, hilly ...

, then southeastward past

Wilburton Wilburton is a small village of just over 1,000 inhabitants, situated in Cambridgeshire, England. It is 6 miles south west of Ely. While nominally an agricultural village, many of the inhabitants work in Cambridge, Ely or London. History Wilbu ...

before turning eastward until it reaches the Poteau River in

Le Flore County LeFlore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 50,384. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choct ...

. Fourche Maline's

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with the Poteau River is now submerged in

Lake Wister Lake Wister is a reservoir in Le Flore County, in southeast Oklahoma.Crain, Harold. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Wister The lake is created by the Poteau River and the Fourche Maline creek. Wister Lake was authorized for flo ...

, about south of the confluence. The distance from origin to confluence is about ''Wister Lake O & M Program, Poteau River: Environmental Impact Statement''. June 2002. p. 3.
Accessed November 15, 2016. Oklahoma Historian

Muriel Wright Muriel Hazel Wright (31 March 1889 – 27 February 1975) was an American teacher, historian and writer on the Choctaw Nation. A native of Indian Territory, she was the daughter of mixed-blood Choctaw physician Eliphalet Wright and the granddaug ...

translated the French name as meaning "treacherous fork" in English.Wright, Muriel. "Some Geographic Names of French Origin in Oklahoma." ''Chronicles of Oklahoma''. Vol. 7, No. 2, June 1929.
Accessed November 14, 2016. During the days of the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

, Fourche Maline served as the boundary between Skullyville County and Sugar Loaf County, two of the constituent counties making up the

Moshulatubbee District Moshulatubbee District was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the former Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. Also called the First District, it encompassed the northern one-third of the nation. In some historic records it is ...

of the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation ( Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American territory covering about , occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. The Choctaw Nation is the third-largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

Fishing

Fourche Maline is habitat for the following species of fish:walleye, bream, bluegill, catfish, smallmouth bass, carp and rainbow trout. According to the Hook and Bullet source, the stream is about from Wister. A section of Fourche Maline downstream of Carlton Lake Dam to the South Boundary of Robbers Cave Park is listed as a good area for rainbow trout by the blog Troutster."Oklahoma Trout Fishing." Trotter.com.
Accessed November 15, 2016. The same blog warns that trout generally fare poorly in Oklahoma summers. The state restocks trout every winter, starting November 1. At the Fourche Maline, the stocking season ends March 15."Warm Water Delays Trout Stocking at 2 Seasonal Sites." Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. October 26, 2016.
Accessed November 16, 2016.

Notes

References

External links

Headwaters of Fourche Maline-Map from TopoQuest
(accessed June 29, 2008).
Mouth of Fourche Maline-Map from TopoQuest
(accessed June 29, 2008). * {{authority control Bodies of water of Latimer County, Oklahoma Rivers of Oklahoma Tributaries of the Arkansas River