| Verdigris River Van Horner Creek, Vermillion River, Wasetihoge River[1] | |
|---|---|
 The Verdigris River nearLenapah, Oklahoma | |
 Map of the Verdigris watershed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas,Oklahoma |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Madison, Kansas |
| • coordinates | 38°09′08″N96°10′01″W / 38.15222°N 96.16694°W /38.15222; -96.16694 |
| • elevation | 1,090 ft (330 m) |
| Mouth | Arkansas River |
• location | Muskogee, Oklahoma |
• coordinates | 35°48′01″N95°18′28″W / 35.80028°N 95.30778°W /35.80028; -95.30778[1] |
• elevation | 489 ft (149 m) |
| Length | 310 mi (500 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | USGS 07176000 nearClaremore, OK[2] |
| • average | 4,644 cu ft/s (131.5 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 3.4 cu ft/s (0.096 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 77,700 cu ft/s (2,200 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Verdigris-Arkansas-Mississippi |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Fall River,Elk River,Caney River |
| Waterbodies | Toronto Lake,Oologah Lake |
TheVerdigris River/ˈvɜːrdɪɡrɪs/ is atributary of theArkansas River in southeasternKansas and northeasternOklahoma in theUnited States. It is about 310 miles (500 km) long.[3] Via theArkansas, it is part of theMississippi Riverwatershed.
The Verdigris is formed nearMadison, Kansas, by the convergence of two short headwaters streams, its North and South forks, and flows generally southward throughout its course. South ofCoffeyville, Kansas, the river enters Oklahoma. It joins the Arkansas River nearMuskogee, Oklahoma, about a mile upstream of the mouth of theNeosho River. The area of convergence of the three rivers Arkansas, Verdigris and Neosho is called "Three Forks".
The river is mentioned in accounts byZebulon Pike (1806) andThomas Nuttall (1818). Fur traders had numerous posts along its route where they met with Native Americans to exchange goods for furs. The river is also mentioned in the novelLittle House on the Prairie (1935) byLaura Ingalls Wilder, of her memories when her family moved to Kansas from Wisconsin.
According to theEncyclopædia Britannica, the name may be derived from a greenish substance also calledverdigris, resembling acopper ore, which tinged the water.[4] In the U.S. treaty of 1834 with theCherokee Indians, the river was named as a part of the boundary of their lands in the Indian Territory.[5]
In 1994,Tom Paxton wrote and recorded a song: "Along the Verdigris", celebrating its rural tranquillity, on his albumWearing The Time.[6]
In July 2007,Coffeyville Resources suffered flooding at its refinery atCoffeyville by the Verdigris River, causing a spill of about 1,700 barrels of crude oil.[7] The company made efforts to ameliorate the damage.
On May 25, 2019,Rogers County sent out a civil authority message to all radios inWashington County,Tulsa County, and other counties about the river rising rapidly.
Severaldams built by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers cause the Verdigris to formToronto Lake nearToronto, Kansas andOologah Lake nearOologah, Oklahoma. More dams andreservoirs are downstream along the Arkansas River.
From just north ofCatoosa, Oklahoma to the river's confluence with the Arkansas,barge traffic is supported on the river via theMcClellan-Kerr Navigation System. This consists of a series oflocks and dams on the Arkansas and the Verdigris rivers; this system enables commercial navigation between theTulsa, Oklahoma, area and theMississippi River, and thence to theGulf of Mexico.
In Kansas, the Verdigris collects theFall River at the town ofNeodesha and theElk River at the town ofIndependence. In Oklahoma it collects theCaney River inRogers County.
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