Cattle crossing the Smoky Hill River at Ellsworth

Map of rivers in Kansas with the Smoky Hill in the north central.

The Smoky Hill River is a 560-mile river in the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " It starts in the high plains of eastern Colorado and flows east. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The two main tributaries, called the North and South forks, join near Russell Springs, Kansas. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river Russell Springs is a city in Logan County, Kansas, United States. From there, the river continues generally eastward through central Kansas. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " The Smoky Hill River joins the Republican River at Junction City, Kansas to form the Kansas River. Junction City is a city in Geary County, Kansas, United States. The Kansas River (also known as the Kaw) is a River in northeastern Kansas in the United States.

Besides Junction City, other Kansas towns along the river are Salina, Marquette and Abilene. Salina (pronounced /səˈlaɪnə/) is a city in and the County seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. Marquette is a city located in the northwest corner of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, between K-4 and the Smoky Hill River Abilene is a city in Dickinson County, Kansas, United States, 163 miles (262 km west of Kansas City.

Two dams, the Kanopolis and the Cedar Bluff, are used for irrigation and flood control. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees

Native names for the river include Chetolah and the Okesee-sebo. Early maps of European explorers called the river (sometimes in combination with the Kansas) the River of the Padoucas, after a name given to the Comanche. The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose range (the Comancheria) consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado

See also

• List of Colorado rivers
• List of Kansas rivers