The Kansas River near De Soto

The Kansas River (known interchangeably as the Kaw) is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. De Soto is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, along the Kansas River. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to Its name (and nickname) come from the Kanza (Kaw) people who once inhabited the area. The Kaw (or Kanza) are an American Indians people of the central Midwestern United States. The state of Kansas in turn drew its name from the river. ^[1][2]

The river valley averages 2. 6 miles (4. 2 km) in width, with the widest points being between Wamego and Rossville, where it is up to 4 miles (6. Wamego (wɔˈmiɡo is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. Rossville is a city in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States. 4 km) wide, then narrowing to 1 mile (1. 6 km) or less in places below Eudora. Eudora is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. It is part of the ' Lawrence Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area ' Much of the river's watershed is dammed for flood control, but the Kaw is generally free-flowing and has only minor obstructions, including diversion weirs and one low impact hydroelectric dam. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, WEIR (1430 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water

Course

Beginning at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers, just east of aptly-named Junction City (1030 ft), the Kaw flows some 170 miles generally eastward to join the Missouri River at Kaw Point (730 ft) in Kansas City. The Smoky Hill River is a River in the US states of Colorado and Kansas. Junction City is a city in Geary County, Kansas, United States. Kaw Point is the name given to the point where the Kansas River terminates at the Missouri River in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City Kansas Kansas City Kansas. Items for the metro area should also go to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area page Items for Kansas City Missouri Dropping only 320 feet on its journey seaward, the water in the Kaw falls less than 2 feet per mile. The Kansas River valley is only 138 miles long; the surplus length of the river is due to meandering across the floodplain. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse also known as an oxbow loop or simply an Oxbow. ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic The river's course roughly follows the maximum extent of the Kansan Glaciation, and the river likely began as a path of glacial meltwater drainage. The Kansan Glaciation (known in the UK as the Anglian glaciation, Elster glaciation in northern Europe and the Mindel glaciation in the

Drainage

The Kansas River at Lawrence showing the Bowersock Dam (right) and power station (rear center) at a period of very low water flow

The Kansas River at Lawrence showing the Bowersock Dam (right) and power station (rear center) at a period of very high water flow, several feet above flood stage

Kansas drainage basins map

The Kansas drains 34,423 mi² (89,155 km²) of land in Kansas (almost all of the northern half), along with 16,916 mi² (43,812 km²) in Nebraska, and 8,775 mi² (22,727 km²) in Colorado, making a total of just over 60,000 mi² (155,000 km²). Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the US State of Kansas and the County seat of Douglas County. A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the US State of Kansas and the County seat of Douglas County. A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. ^[3] When including the Republican River, the Kansas River system has a length of 743 river miles, making it the 21st longest river in the United States. ^[4] Its highest headwaters are at about 6,000 ft and extend nearly to Limon, Colorado. Limon is a Statutory Town that is the most populous town in Lincoln County, Colorado, United States. Much of the drainage of the river lies within the Great Plains, but the river itself exists entirely within the Mid Continent Region. The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada The Mid-Continent Region of the United States is a physiographic province that extends from northern Texas to Minnesota and covers portions of North The majority of the rest of the state is drained by the Arkansas (and its tributaties, the Neosho, Cimarron, and Verdigris, all three of which drain into the Arkansas in Oklahoma). The Arkansas River is a major Tributary of the Mississippi River. The Neosho River is a Tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the The Cimarron River extends 698 miles (1123 km across New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas. The Verdigris River is a Tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. A portion of central-eastern Kansas is drained by the Marais des Cygnes River, which then flows into Missouri to meet the Missouri River. The Marais des Cygnes River (pronounced /məˈri də siːn/, /mɛr də ziːn/, or /məˈrei də sein/) is a principal Tributary of the Osage Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee There is also a small area in the extreme northeast part of the state that drains directly into the Missouri.

Geology

The Kansas river flows through what is known as the Stable Interior region. Since this region is near the center of the North American Plate, it has not experienced any extensive geologic faulting, folding, or mountain building in recent geologic time. The North American Plate is a Tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland and part of Siberia. In Geology a fault, or fault line, is a planar rock fracture which shows evidence of relative movement See also Folding The term fold is used in Geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces such as Sedimentary Orogeny (Greek for "mountain generating" is the process of natural Mountain building and may be studied as a tectonic structural event as a geographical event and The geologic time scale is a chronologic schema (or idealized Model) relating Stratigraphy to time that is used by Geologists and other In fact, the river flows through limestone and shale strata that, except for diagenesis, remain largely undisturbed since deposition beneath the Western Interior Seaway. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by In Geology and related fields a stratum (plural strata) is a layer of rock or Soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes In Geology and Oceanography, diagenesis is any chemical physical or biological change undergone by a Sediment after its initial deposition and during Deposition is the geological process by which material is added to a Landform or land mass The Western Interior Seaway, also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, and the North American Inland Sea, was a huge inland Sea The age of the rock exposed by the river becomes progressively older as the river moves downstream for two main reasons. In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere First, downstream areas experience more erosion from increased flow, and second because the slight uplift of the Ozark dome to the southeast caused the strata in Kansas to dip very slightly to the west. Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind In Geology, a dome is a deformational feature consisting of symmetrically-dipping Anticlines their general outline on a geologic Map is circular or oval Strike and dip refer to the orientation or attitude of a Geologic feature All of the rocks in the area are sedimentary, ranging from Late Pennsylvanian (300 million years ago) to recent, with three minor exceptions. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) The Late Pennsylvanian (its rocks belong to the Upper Pennsylvanian) is the third and final of three subepochs of the Pennsylvanian epoch of The first is sand and gravel brought down from the Rocky Mountains which have settled in the western extents of the Kansas River basin. Sand is a naturally occurring Granular material composed of finely divided rock and Mineral particles Gravel is rock that is of a specific Particle size range In Geology, gravel is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters (2mm Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. Secondly, the retreat of the Kansan Glaciation left behind a combination of ice- and meltwater-deposited sediments known as drifta, a poorly sorted mixture of clay, sand, gravel, and even large boulders that cover parts of the extreme eastern portion of the Kansas River basin. The Kansan Glaciation (known in the UK as the Anglian glaciation, Elster glaciation in northern Europe and the Mindel glaciation in the Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of The third is loess, a fine silt that may have originally been deposited by the melting water of the receding glaciers, then redeposited by the wind. Loess is a homogeneous typically non stratified porous Friable,slightly coherent often calcareous fine-grained Silty pale yellow or buff windblown ( aeolian Silt is Soil or rock derived Granular material of a Grain size between sand and clay The thickest loess deposits can be found in the northwest and north-central part of the Kansas River basin from southern Nebraska into northwest Kansas, as well as near the river's mouth. ^[5] Because of the river's shallow depth, slow drainage, high silt contents, and proximity to industrial centers, the Kansas River was ranked as the 21st most polluted water body in the United States. ^[6]

History

Confluence with the Missouri at Kansas City

• The first map showing the Kansas River is French cartographer Guillaume de L'Isle's "Carte de la Louisiane," which was drawn about 1718. Guillaume Delisle ( February 28, 1675 - January 25, 1726) was a French cartographer who lived in Paris. Year 1718 ( MDCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a On it the "Grande Riv[iere] des Cansez" flows into the Missouri River at about the 40th parallel. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi ( Φ) gives the location of a place on Earth (or other planetary body north or south of the ^[7] This map, with virtually no changes except for the translation of French into English, was subsequently published by John Senex, a London cartographer and engraver, in 1721. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Year 1721 ( MDCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
• From June 26 through 29, 1804, The Lewis and Clark Expedition camped at Kaw Point at the river's mouth. Year 1804 ( MDCCCIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Kaw Point is the name given to the point where the Kansas River terminates at the Missouri River in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City Kansas They complimented the scenery and noted the area would be a good location for a fort.
• Native Americans, of course, used the river for transportation long before any Europeans knew of its existence. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Their canoes, and the pirogues of the French fur traders, had a negligible draft and easily navigated the river at any water level. A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors A pirogue is a small flat-bottomed boat of a design associated particularly with West African fishermen and the Cajuns of the Louisiana marsh The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur. The draft (or draught) of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the Waterline and the bottom of the hull ( Keel) with the thickness In August, 1819, Maj. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Stephen H. Long steered the first steamer into the Kansas river with his 30-ton boat Western Engineer. A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving a Propeller He made it scarcely a mile up the river before turning back, citing mud bars from the recent floods.
• The mouth of the Kaw in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City (sitting at a longitude of 94 degrees 36 minutes West) was the basis for the Missouri's western boundary from Iowa to Arkansas when it became a state in 1821. The West Bottoms (official name Central Industrial District) is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City Missouri at the confluence of the Longitude (ˈlɒndʒɪˌtjuːd or ˈlɒŋgɪˌtjuːd symbolized by the Greek character Lambda (λ is the east-west Geographic coordinate measurement The State of Iowa ( is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Year 1821 ( MDCCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year (Kansas entered the Union in 1861. During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ) South of the Missouri River, that longitude still remains the boundary between Kansas and Missouri. North of the Missouri River, the state of Missouri extended its boundary further to the west in 1836 with the Platte Purchase. Year 1836 ( MDCCCXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap The Platte Purchase in 1836 added to the state of Missouri, making up its northwest corner The river has moved slightly since this designation, however the state boundary remains the same. This line is known as the Osage Boundary^[8].
• From the 1840s through the early 1870s, the southern ridgelines of the lower section of the Kaw were the beginnings of the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails as they left Kansas City. Events and trends Technology First use of General anesthesia in an operation by Crawford Long. Events and Trends Technology The invention of the prototype telephone by Alexander G A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance Pioneers traveled across the Oregon Trail, one of the main overland migration routes on the North American Continent, in wagons in order to settle new parts of the The California Trail was a major overland Emigrant route across the Western United States from Missouri to California in the middle 19th The Santa Fe Trail was a Historic 19th century transportation route through southwestern North America connecting Missouri with Santa Fe
• Beginning in 1854, steamboats operated regularly from Kansas City to Lawrence and Topeka, and sometimes as far as Fort Riley. Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City This traffic continued through the territorial period and the early years of statehood, falling off rapidly about 1860. Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting The last steamer to travel the Kansas was the Alexander Majors, which was chartered in 1866 to run between Kansas City and Lawrence until the railroad bridge at the mouth of the river, which had been destroyed by floods, could be rebuilt. Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common This traffic into statehood gave the Kansas legal status as a navigable stream in the eyes of the Federal government. A body of water such as a River, Canal or Lake, is navigable if it is deep wide and slow enough for a vessel to pass and there are no obstructions like
• In the 1860s, the country's goods were increasingly transported by the extensive and comparatively efficient railroad system. Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the USA was completed in 1869 On February 25, 1864, the state legislature declared the Kansas River nonnavigable, allowing railroad and bridge companies to build bridges and dams without restriction. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year This law remained in effect until 1913, when, after it had been characterized as "a crime against the public welfare of Kansas", it was finally repealed and the river's status was restored to a navigable stream. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The status has not since changed, though modern commercial navigation on the river is largely confined to dredging. Dredging is an Excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater in shallow seas or Fresh water areas with the purpose of

Political geography

(Listed from mouth upstream. )

Counties

• Wyandotte and Johnson (boundary in part)
• Jefferson and Douglas (boundary)
• Shawnee
• Pottawatomie and Wabaunsee (boundary)
• Riley
• Geary

Cities and towns

(major cities in bold)

• Kansas City - Elev: 730 ft
• Shawnee - Elev: 732 ft
• Edwardsville - Elev: 741 ft
• Bonner Springs - Elev: 762 ft
• De Soto - Elev: 764 ft
• Lawrence - Elev: 791 ft
• Lecompton - Elev: 820 ft
• Perry - Elev: 820 ft
• Tecumseh - Elev: 840 ft
• Topeka - Elev: 852 ft
• Willard - Elev: 889 ft
• Belvue - Elev: 911 ft
• Wamego - Elev: 955 ft
• St. George - Elev: 977 ft
• Manhattan - Elev: 990 ft
• Ogden - Elev: 1023 ft
• Ft. Riley - Elev: 1040 ft
• Junction City - Elev: 1047 ft

Tributaries

• Wakarusa River
• Big Blue River
• Republican River
• Smoky Hill River

Recreation

Recreation along the Kansas River includes fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and rowing. Wyandotte County (county code WY) is located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. Johnson County (county code JO) is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Jefferson County (county code JF) is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. Douglas County (county code DG) is located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. Shawnee County (county code SN) is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Pottawatomie County (standard abbreviation PT) is a County located in the U Riley County (standard abbreviation RL) is a county located in the U Geary County (county code GE) is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. Kansas City Kansas. Items for the metro area should also go to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area page Items for Kansas City Missouri Shawnee is a rapidly growing city located in northwest Johnson County, Kansas, United States and is a western suburb of Kansas City Missouri Edwardsville is a city in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States and is part of the "Unified Government" which contains Kansas Bonner Springs is a river city located mostly in Wyandotte, and in parts of Johnson and Leavenworth counties (although the vast majority of the population De Soto is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, along the Kansas River. Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the US State of Kansas and the County seat of Douglas County. Lecompton is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. Perry is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 901 at the 2000 census. Tecumseh is an unincorporated community situated along the Kansas River in eastern Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the central Topeka ( Kansa: Tó Ppí Kˀé ˌto ˈpːi ˌkˀeɪ Ioway: Dó Pí Kˀé ˌto ˈpʰi ˌkˀeɪ Willard is a city in Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties in the US Belvue is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. Wamego (wɔˈmiɡo is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. St George is a city in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, United States. Manhattan is a city in Pottawatomie and Riley counties in the northeastern part of the U Ogden is a city in Riley County, Kansas, United States. The population was 1762 at the 2000 census. Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City Junction City is a city in Geary County, Kansas, United States. The Wakarusa River is a tributary of the Kansas River, approximately 50 mi (80 km long in eastern Kansas in the United States. For the stream that flows from Johnson County Kansas through Kansas City that is often referred to as the Big Blue see Blue River (Missouri The The Smoky Hill River is a River in the US states of Colorado and Kansas. For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish. Canoeing is the activity of paddling a Canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip Sport, or transportation. Kayaking is the use of a Kayak for moving across water Kayaking is generally differentiated from Canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004 There are 18 public access points along the river. [1] The Friends of the Kaw organizes many float trips down the river each year (as well as cleanup efforts), and the Lawrence KOA rents canoes for self-guided trips. At least two rowing teams regularly use the river: The University of Kansas rowing team uses the pool above the Bowersock dam for their exercises, and the Kansas City Rowing Club rows in the final stretches of the river, near its mouth. The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or just Kansas) is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City

Obstructions

On the river

• Kansas City: A few hundred yards downstream from the I-435 bridge, a low weir diverts water to an intake for Water District No. Interstate 435 (abbreviated I-435) is an Interstate Highway Beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City Missouri Metropolitan Area in the WEIR (1430 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format 1 of Johnson County. The weir was rebuilt in 2007.
• Lawrence: Bowersock Dam is the largest obstruction on the river. It serves not only to create a standing pool for one of Lawrence's municipal water intakes (the other is Clinton Lake), but also it creates a head for the Bowersock Mills & Power Company. Clinton Lake is a man-made Lake on the southwestern edge of Lawrence Kansas. Hydraulic head is a specific measurement of water pressure or Total energy per Unit weight above a Geodetic datum. At this site, the Bowersock Mills & Power Company operates the only hydroelectric power station in Kansas; a 2. Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of 5MW, Low Impact Hydropower Facility. The University of Kansas's rowing team uses the pool for its exercises. The University of Kansas (often referred to as KU or just Kansas) is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City GB coxless pair of Toby Garbett & Rick Dunn at Henley Royal Regatta 2004
• Tecumseh: An easily navigable low head weir that diverts water to the Tecumseh power plant, just downstream from Topeka.
• Topeka: A low weir diverts water to the south bank for a municipal water intake.

Within the watershed

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management operate many reservoirs within the watershed of the Kansas river for local and Mississippi River flood control, with secondary recreational uses. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel The Bureau of Land Management (BLM is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's Public lands totaling approximately A reservoir is most broadly a place or hollow vessel where Fluid is kept in Reserve, for later use A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge

See also

• List of Kansas rivers

References

External links

• Friends of the Kaw River access map
• Bowersock Mills & Power Company
• Kaw Point
• Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance
• StreamLinks
• EPA: The Kansas River Watershed Enhancement Initiative
• USGS
• Lower Kansas
• KWO: Kansas-Lower Republican Basin
• USGS: Map of Historical and Cultural Sites along the Kaw Valley