Prairie Dog Creek is a stream in the central Great Plains of North America. 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 Republican River, it flows for through the American states of

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 th ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

Geography

Prairie Dog Creek originates in the

High Plains High Plains refers to one of two distinct land regions: * High Plains (United States), land region of the western Great Plains *High Plains (Australia) The High Plains of south-eastern Australia are a sub-region, or more strictly a string of adja ...

of northwest Kansas. Its source lies in west-central Thomas County roughly southeast of

Brewster, Kansas Brewster is a city in Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 291. History Brewster was named for L.D. Brewster, a railroad official. Brewster was a station and shipping point on the Chicago ...

. From there, it flows generally northeast across northwestern Kansas. Southwest of

Norton, Kansas Norton is a city in, and the county seat of, Norton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,747. History Norton was founded in 1872. Like the county, it was named for Capt. Orloff Norton. The f ...

, it is dammed to form

Keith Sebelius Lake Keith Sebelius Lake, formerly known as Norton Reservoir, is a man-made reservoir on Prairie Dog Creek in northwest Kansas. Built and managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, it is used for flood control, irrigation, recreation, and local water ...

. From the reservoir's dam, the creek continues northeast to Harlan County in south-central

where it joins the Republican River to feed Harlan County Reservoir.

History

The Battle of Prairie Dog Creek (August 21, 1867) ended the Army's offensive operations against the Indians on the Kansas frontier for the year. In 1964, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation completed a

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 ...

on the creek southwest of

for flood control, irrigation, and municipal water supply, creating

References

{{authority control Rivers of Kansas

Geography

History

See also

References