Salt Fork Arkansas River

Salt Fork Arkansas River
Grand Saline River, Kicpahaatihariʾ, Little Arkansas River, Nesuketonga River, Red Fork Arkansas River
The Salt Fork at Tonkawa, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Kansas, Oklahoma
Tributaries
- left	Medicine Lodge River, Chikaskia River
Source
- location	Comanche County, Kansas
- elevation	2,042 ft (622 m)
- coordinates
Mouth	Arkansas River
- location	Kay County, Oklahoma
- elevation	896 ft (273 m)
- coordinates
Length	239 mi (385 km)
Discharge	for USGS 07151000 at Tonkawa, OK
- average	927 cu ft/s (26 m3/s)
- max	57,800 cu ft/s (1,637 m3/s)
- min	0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
Watersheds	Salt Fork Arkansas-Arkansas- Mississippi
Reservoirs	Great Salt Plains Lake
Map of the Salt Fork Arkansas watershed

The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River (Pawnee: Kicpahaatihariʾ ) is a 239-mile-long (385 km) tributary of the Arkansas River in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma in the United States. Via the Arkansas River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Course

The Salt Fork near Alva, Oklahoma

The Salt Fork rises in Comanche County, Kansas, and flows initially southeastwardly through Barber County, Kansas, and Woods County, Oklahoma, to the town of Alva, where it turns eastwardly for the remainder of its course through Alfalfa, Grant, Kay and Noble counties in Oklahoma, past the towns of Pond Creek, Lamont and Tonkawa. It flows into the Arkansas River in southern Kay County, 7 miles (11 km) south of Ponca City.

In Alfalfa County, a dam on the river maintains Great Salt Plains Lake, which is lined with salt flats and is the site of Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge and a state park.

The Salt Fork's largest tributaries are the Medicine Lodge River, which joins it in Alfalfa County and the Chikaskia River, which joins it in Kay County.

Variant names

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Salt Fork Arkansas River has also been known as:

Grand Sabine River Grand Saline River Kai it tu Kits Kait Kiz pahuti hoddi Little Arkansas River Little River Ne Shudse Shunga Nesuketonga River

Red Fork Arkansas River Red Fork of Arkansas River Salt Fork Salt Fork Creek Salt Fork of Arkansas River Salt Fork of the Arkansas Salt Fork of the Arkansas River Salt Fork River

See also

• List of Kansas rivers
• List of Oklahoma rivers

References

• Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
• DeLorme (2003). Kansas Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-342-7.
• DeLorme (2003). Oklahoma Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-283-8.