The Fourche La Fave River (pronounced "Foosh La Fay"; shown as Fourche LaFave River on federal maps) is a tributary of the
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
, approximately long,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed June 3, 2011 in western
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 ...
in 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 ...
. It drains part of the northern
Ouachita Mountains west of
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
.
It was named for the La Feve family who settled near its mouth.
''Fourche'' is French meaning "fork".
Course
It rises in southern
Scott County south of
Waldron and flows east-northeast through the
Ouachita National Forest, along the southern side of the
Dutch Creek Mountain ridge, then along the north side of the
Fourche Mountain ridge. It flows past
Perryville and joins the Arkansas from the west approximately northwest of Little Rock. It is impounded by the
Nimrod Dam
Nimrod Lake is a reservoir in western Arkansas, created by the construction of the Nimrod Dam. It is the oldest Corps of Engineers project in Arkansas, and was completed in 1942 on the Fourche LaFave River.
Overview
The lake is popular for sp ...
at
Fourche Junction to form
Nimrod Lake for
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
. It is joined by the
South Fourche La Fave River
The South Fourche La Fave River is a stream in the Ouachita Mountains of Perry and Yell counties of Arkansas. It is a tributary of the Fourche La Fave River.
The headwaters arise southwest of the Allen Peak Lookout Tower (at ) and the stream flo ...
west of Perryville.
Crossings
*
Fourche LaFave River Bridge
The Fourche LaFave River Bridge carries Arkansas Highway 7 across the Fourche LaFave River in western Perry County, Arkansas, downstream of the Nimrod Dam. It is a three-span open spandrel concrete arch bridge, with its longest span measuring , an ...
: a historic bridge over the Fourche La Fave River
*
Wallace Bridge
The Wallace Bridge, also known as the Nimrod Bridge, is a historic bridge in rural Perry County, Arkansas. It is located southeast of the hamlet of Nimrod, carrying County Road 18 (Wallace Bridge Road) across the Fourche La Fave River. It is a sing ...
: a historic bridge over the Fourche La Fave River
*
Ward's Crossing Bridge
The Ward's Crossing Bridge is a historic bridge in rural eastern Yell County, Arkansas. The bridge carries County Road 8 across the Fourche La Fave River, south of Plainview. It is a single-span camelback through truss, whose main span measures , ...
: a historic bridge over the Fourche La Fave River
References
External links
Nimrod LakeTopographic map of a section of the Fourche Lafave River
*
Rivers of Arkansas
Tributaries of the Arkansas River
Rivers of Perry County, Arkansas
Rivers of Yell County, Arkansas
Bodies of water of Scott County, Arkansas
{{Arkansas-river-stub