Medicine Lodge River
Name otherA-ya-dalda-pa River, Hohkii'yohe, Medicine River[1]
CountryUnited States
StateKansas, Oklahoma
Length130 mi (210 km)
Discharge1 locationUSGS 07149000 near Kiowa, Kansas[2]
Discharge1 min0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
Discharge1 avg147 cu ft/s (4.2 m3/s)
Discharge1 max9,660 cu ft/s (274 m3/s)
Source1 locationKiowa County, Kansas
Source1 coordinates37°30′51″N 99°20′22″W
Source1 elevation2,330 ft (710 m)
MouthSalt Fork Arkansas River
Mouth locationAlfalfa County, Oklahoma
Mouth coordinates36°49′40″N 98°19′38″W[1]
Mouth elevation1,165 ft (355 m)
Custom labelWatersheds
Custom dataMedicine Lodge-Salt Fork Arkansas-Arkansas-
Mississippi

The Medicine Lodge River is a 130-mile (210-kilometre)[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.

Name

The Medicine Lodge River got its name from a large hut built by the Kiowa people, 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. ^
  2. ^ "Water-Data Report 2013 - 07149000 Medicine Lodge River near Kiowa, KS". Retrieved 2015-11-03.
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 31, 2011
  4. ^ General Highway Map - Alfalfa County, Oklahoma. 1992 ed. Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Planning Division.