Medicine Lodge River

The Medicine Lodge River is a 130-mile-long (210 km)[3] tributary of the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma in the United States. Via the Salt Fork and Arkansas rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Medicine Lodge River
A-ya-dalda-pa River, Hohkii'yohe, Medicine River[1]
Medicine Lodge River near Kiowa
Map of the Salt Fork Arkansas watershed including the Medicine Lodge River
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKansas, Oklahoma
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationKiowa County, Kansas
 • coordinates37°30′51″N 99°20′22″W
 • elevation2,330 ft (710 m)
MouthSalt Fork Arkansas River
 • location
Alfalfa County, Oklahoma
 • coordinates
36°49′40″N 98°19′38″W[1]
 • elevation
1,165 ft (355 m)
Length130 mi (210 km)
Discharge 
 • locationUSGS 07149000 near Kiowa, Kansas[2]
 • average147 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s)
 • minimum0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
 • maximum9,660 cu ft/s (274 m3/s)
Basin features
WatershedsMedicine Lodge-Salt Fork Arkansas-Arkansas-
Mississippi

Name

The Medicine Lodge River got its name from a large hut built by the Kiowa Indians, who believed the water from the river had healing properties if ingested or inhaled in a sauna type room.

The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Medicine Lodge River" as the stream's name in 1968. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been known historically as "A-ya-dalda-pa River," "Medicine Lodge Creek" and "Medicine River."

Geography

The river rises in Kiowa County, Kansas and flows generally southeastwardly through Barber County in Kansas and Alfalfa County in Oklahoma, past the Kansas towns of Belvidere, Sun City and Medicine Lodge.

It joins the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in Oklahoma, about 5 miles (8 km) north-northeast of Cherokee.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Medicine Lodge River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  2. "Water-Data Report 2013 - 07149000 Medicine Lodge River near Kiowa, KS" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-04-05 at WebCite, accessed May 31, 2011
  4. General Highway Map - Alfalfa County, Oklahoma (PDF) (Map) (1992 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Planning Division.
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