The Neosho River is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

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 ...

in eastern

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 ...

and northeastern Oklahoma 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 ...

. Its tributaries also drain portions of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

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 ...

. 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 w ...

is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 31, 2011 Via the Arkansas, it is part of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

watershed. Its name is an Osage word meaning "clear water." The lower section is also known as the Grand River.

Course

The Neosho's headwaters are in Morris County, Kansas, and it flows southeast through Kansas. In

Ottawa County, Oklahoma Ottawa County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,285. Its county seat is Miami. The county was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.Muskogee, about a mile downstream of the confluence of the Arkansas River and the

Verdigris River The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

. The area of convergence of the three rivers Arkansas, Verdigris and Neosho is called "Three Forks." In Oklahoma the Neosho ends at its confluence with Spring River at the Twin Bridges Area at Grand Lake State Park. From that point on it is called the Grand River. The Grand River flows south to the Grand Lake.

Dams

The Neosho has been

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

med at several points along its course, in most cases by the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. In Kansas, a dam upstream of Council Grove forms

Council Grove Lake Council Grove Lake is a reservoir on the Neosho River in east-central Kansas. Built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it is used for flood control, recreation, and water supply. History The Flood Control Act of 1950 authorized the b ...

, and a dam near New Strawn forms

John Redmond Reservoir John Redmond Reservoir is a reservoir on the Neosho River in eastern Kansas. Built and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it is used for flood control, recreation, water supply, and wildlife management. It borders the Flint Hills Nation ...

. There are also 12 dams in between John Redmond and the Kansas border, including lowhead dams at Burlington, Neosho Falls, Iola, Humboldt, two near Chanute and Erie. In Oklahoma, a dam at

Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...

forms the Neosho's largest reservoir, the

Grand Lake o' the Cherokees Grand Lake o' the Cherokees is situated in Northeast Oklahoma in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range. It is often simply called Grand Lake. It is administered by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA). History The ''Encyclopedia of Oklahom ...

. A dam near Locust Grove forms Lake Hudson, (also known as Markham Ferry Reservoir), and a dam upstream of

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

forms

Fort Gibson Lake The Fort Gibson Dam is a gravity dam on the Grand (Neosho) River in Oklahoma, north of the town of Fort Gibson. The dam forms Fort Gibson Lake. The primary purposes of the dam and lake are flood control and hydroelectric power production, altho ...

Tributaries

In Kansas, the Neosho is joined by the Cottonwood River in Lyon County. In Oklahoma, it is joined by the Spring River in Ottawa County and the Elk River in Delaware County.

Cities and towns along the river

Americus, Kansas Americus is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 776. It is located northwest of the city of Emporia. Americus is often a waypoint in some Unbound Gravel bike races. History Ame ...

* Burlington, Kansas *

Chetopa, Kansas Chetopa is a city in Labette County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 929. Chetopa was named for Chief Chetopah, an Osage Indian chief. Later, the community name was shortened. History The communi ...

Chanute, Kansas Chanute () is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,722. Chanute is home ...

Chouteau, Oklahoma Chouteau is the second-largest town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,097 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6 percent over the figure of 1,931 recorded in 2000. Geography Chouteau is located at . According to th ...

Council Grove, Kansas Council Grove is a city and county seat in Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,140. It was named after an agreement between American settlers and the Osage Nation allowing settlers' wa ...

* Disney, Oklahoma * Emporia, Kansas * Erie, Kansas *

Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Fort Gibson is a town in Cherokee and Muskogee counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 4,154 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.5 percent over the figure of 4,054 recorded in 2000. It is the location of Fort Gibson Histor ...

* Grand Lake Towne, Oklahoma *

Hartford, Kansas Hartford is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 355. History Hartford was laid out in 1858. Some of its founders were original natives of Hartford, Connecticut, hence the name. ...

* Humboldt, Kansas *

Iola, Kansas Iola () is the county seat of Allen County, Kansas, United States. The city is situated along the Neosho River in southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,396. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn. History ...

Langley, Oklahoma Langley is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 819 at the 2010 census. History Langley, still located at its original site, is on State Highway 82 at the west end of the Pensacola Dam, which is on the National Reg ...

Le Roy, Kansas LeRoy is a city in Coffey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 451. History LeRoy was founded in 1855. It was named after the city of Le Roy, Illinois. The first post office in LeRoy (a name al ...

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of ...

Neosho Falls, Kansas Neosho Falls is a city in Woodson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 134. History Neosho Falls was founded in 1857, making it the oldest town and first county seat in Woodson County. It was na ...

Neosho Rapids, Kansas Neosho Rapids is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 229. History Neosho Rapids was previously called Italia then Florence, and was laid out in 1855. It was named Neosho Rapids i ...

Oswego, Kansas Oswego is a city in and the county seat of Labette County, Kansas, United States, and situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,668. History Oswego is located on the site of an Osage village calle ...

Parkerville, Kansas Parkerville is a city in Morris County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 46. History A post office was established in Parkersville on August 9, 1870, then renamed to Parkerville on June 23, 1892. T ...

* Pensacola, Oklahoma *

Pin Oak Acres, Oklahoma Pin Oak Acres is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 427 at the 2000 census. Geography Pin Oak Acres is located southeast of Chouteau and east of U.S. Route 69 on the Neosho River, upst ...

Salina, Oklahoma Salina ( ) is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,396 at the 2010 census, a slight decline from the figure of 1,422 recorded in 2000. History For thousands of years indigenous peoples had lived along the rivers ...

* Strang, Oklahoma * St. Paul, Kansas * Shaw, Kansas * Rollin, Kansas *

Petrolia, Kansas Petrolia is an unincorporated community in Allen County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Neosho River. History In 1910, Petrolia had a money order postoffice, an express office, and was a trading point for the neighborhood. The ...

Bassett, Kansas Bassett is a city in Allen County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 20. History Bassett was founded in 1903. The following year the Bassett and Concreto ext ...

* Strauss, Kansas * Laneville, Kansas * Montana, Kansas * Hoag, Kansas * Saulkner, Kansas * Harmon, Kansas

Variant names

According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

, the Neosho River has also been known as: * Grand River, particularly past the confluence of the Neosho and Spring rivers in Oklahoma—see

Grand River (Oklahoma) The Grand River is an alternate name for the lower section of the Neosho River, a tributary of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma. "Grand River" refers to the section of river below the confluence of the Neosho and Spring rivers in Ottawa County n ...

* Le Grande Riviere * Nee Ozho River * Neozhoo River * Ni-u-sho River * Niocho River * Nion-chou River * Noshow River * Osage River * Rio Blanco * Six Bulls River

References