The Wakarusa River is a tributary of the

Kansas River The Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwesternmost part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwesternmost portion of the extensive Mississippi River dr ...

, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed March 30, 2011 in eastern

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It drains an

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

area of rolling

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

hills south of Topeka and Lawrence.

Description

It rises in several branches located southwest of Topeka. The main branch rises on the Wabaunsee-

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

county line, approximately southwest of Topeka and flows east. The South Branch rises in eastern Wabaunsee County, approximately southwest of Topeka and flows east-northeast, joining the main branch south of Topeka. The main branch flows generally east, flowing south of Lawrence. It joins the

in Douglas County at

Eudora Eudora may refer to: Places * Eudora, Arkansas, a city * Eudora, Kansas, a city * Eudora Township, Douglas County, Kansas * Eudora, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Eudora, Missouri, an unincorporated community Other * 217 Eudora, an as ...

, approximately east of Lawrence. It is impounded by Clinton Dam approximately southwest of Lawrence to form Clinton Lake. Clinton Lake map

The river is known for its gentle current that winds through river-level outcropping rocks, primarily of Pennsylvanian limestone. This reach of the river was inhabited by different Native American tribes, including the Kansa and

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...

in the 18th century. During 1819-1820, Major

Stephen H. Long Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army civil engineer, explorer, and inventor. As an inventor, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of the most pro ...

referred to this

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 ...

as "Warreruza". According to a 1912 encyclopedia, the name comes from an Indian legend, wherein a young woman was crossing the river on horseback. She exclaimed "Wakarusa!", meaning "hip deep", and the name stuck. After the U.S. acquired this region, the Shawnee people were relocated here during the early 19th century.

Ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

lines of this historic

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

defined

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

routes first used by

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

pioneers and

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...

emigrants. During the

Great Migration of 1843 The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kan ...

, the fords used for crossing this meandering river were among the many topographic challenges emigrant wagon trains had to master along the ''Fremont-Westport Trail'' (1843-1848) named after

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

. This Freedom's Frontier route also was called the California Road during the 1849 gold rush. Also, during the days of the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas. ...

, the limestone outcroppings of the river presented great challenges to early white emigrants attempting to ford the stream in their wagons. Oregon Trail wagons were often dismantled, lowered down the limestone beds, towed across, then lifted by rope to the opposing bank. Several Shawnee created

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

operations at river crossings in the 1850s, including Blue Jacket's Ferry near Coal Creek at Sebastian. The river's gentle current and scenic banks made it an early recreation spot for citizens of Lawrence (which was originally called "Wacharusa"). See

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

(1820-1840) The river once had extensive

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

riparian habitat, much of which has been reclaimed over the last century for cultivation and other uses. Clinton Dam, finished in 1977 to reduce seasonal spring flooding, greatly reduced the replenishment of wetlands below the dam. A remaining tract of , the

Haskell-Baker Wetlands The Baker Wetlands (also known as the Haskell-Baker Wetlands) is a nature preserve and artificially sustained wetland, spanning approximately south of Lawrence, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Wakarusa River and sustained ...

, is located south of Lawrence near Haskell Indian Nations University. Though the wetlands below the dam are mostly dry now, along the Wakarusa above Clinton Lake, former cropland has been converted into a new wetland area. By pumping water into shallow ditches, 3 major manmade wetlands have formed, including the East and West Coblentz marshes, and the more recent Elk Creek wetland add more than of wetlands along the Wakarusa River. The East and West Coblentz complexes are more accessible than the Elk Creek complex, and boast a large variety of waterfowl and reptiles. Due to the wetlands lying within the low Clinton Lake floodpool, access is very limited during the wet spring months.

Tributaries and other landmarks

(This list follows Wakarusa River flow downstream) * Middle Branch Wakarusa * South Branch Wakarusa * North Branch Wakarusa * Six Mile Creek * Towhead Creek * Bury's Creek * Lynn Creek * Camp Creek * Elk-Horn Creek * Dry Creek * Deer Creek * Coon Creek * Clinton Lake - Elev: * South Rock Creek * Washington Creek * Yankee Tank Creek *

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

br>Gaging Station
- Elev:

trib. of Wakarusa River; Douglas Co. USGS: Lawrence E. * Spring Creek * Little Wakarusa Creek

Cities along the Wakarusa River

* Auburn, Kansas - Elev: * Wakarusa, Kansas (unincorporated) - Elev: * Richland, Kansas (unincorporated) - Elev: *

- Elev:

References

External links

Human geography

Bluejacket Crossing

Part I of James's Account of S. H. Long's Expedition, 1819--1820
(p. 184)

Physical geography

* Fresh water supplies:
Out of the tap
' (series) *
Upper Wakarusa Watershed
*
Lower Kaw Valley Watershed Profile
* KWO

*

{{authority control Rivers of Douglas County, Kansas Rivers of Shawnee County, Kansas Rivers of Kansas Tributaries of the Kansas River