North Fork Of The Red River

The North Fork Red River, sometimes called simply the "North Fork", is a tributary of the Red River of the South about long, heading along the eastern Caprock Escarpment of the Llano Estacado about southwest of Pampa, Texas.United States Board on Geographical Names. 1960. Decisions on names in the United States: Alaska and Puerto Rico, Decisions rendered in May, June, and August 1959, Decision list no. 5903, United States Department of the Interior, Washington DC, p. 52. Rising in Gray County, Texas, it terminates at the confluence with Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River at the Texas-Oklahoma border.

Course

From its source in central Gray County, Texas, the river flows eastward, passing through Wheeler County, Texas, into Oklahoma. Just west of the Wheeler county line, it is joined by McClellan Creek, its chief tributary. In Oklahoma, the stream flows east across Beckham County where it is joined by Sweetwater Creek. It then turns southeast to form the county line between Greer and Kiowa counties, where it is impounded to form Lake Altus-Lugert. In southern Greer County, the North Fork joins Elm Creek before turning in a more southerly direction, forming the border between Kiowa County and Jackson County, Oklahoma and Jackson County, and Tillman counties. It joins the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River at the Texas-Oklahoma border about northeast of Vernon, Texas. Overall, the North Fork descends from its headwaters to its confluence with the Red River, passing through mostly rolling to flat terrain with local shallow depressions along its course.

Historic significance

After the Adams-Onis Treaty defined the Red River as the boundary between the United States and New Spain in 1819, the North Fork was considered to be part of the boundary. The Marcy Expedition in 1852 discovered that the main channel of the Red River was actually the South Fork of the Red River, now named Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. The U. S. government thereafter claimed the land between the two Red River streams as far as the 100th Meridian as part of its own territory. After the Republic of Texas joined the United States, Texas still claimed the area, which it named Greer County). A lawsuit brought by Texas against the United States was litigated before the United States Supreme Court, was won by the United States. As a result, Greer County, Texas became a part of Oklahoma Territory and the North Fork ceased to be the Texas boundary.

Communities

* Lefors, TX
* Shamrock, TX
* Sayre, OK
* Granite, OK
* Lone Wolf, OK
* Blair, OK
* Tipton, OK
* Headrick, OK

See also

* Adams-Onis Treaty
*List of rivers of Texas
*List of rivers of Oklahoma
* Little Red River
* Pease River
*Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River
* Red River of the South
*Salt Fork Red River
*Washita River
*Wichita River

Notes

References

External links

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Rivers of Texas
Rivers of Oklahoma
Tributaries of the Red River of the South
Bodies of water of Tillman County, Oklahoma
Bodies of water of Wilbarger County, Texas