Republican River
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| Republican River | |
| River | |
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| States | Kansas, Nebraska |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | North Fork Republican River |
| - right | South Fork Republican River |
| Source | |
| - location | Dundy County, Nebraska |
| - coordinates | 40°2′30″N 101°31′17″W / 40.04167°N 101.52139°W [1] |
| Mouth | Kansas River |
| - location | Geary County, Kansas |
| - coordinates | 39°3′36″N 96°48′5″W / 39.06°N 96.80139°W [2] |
 Map of the Republican River and its tributaries
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The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, flowing through the U.S. states of Nebraska and Kansas.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
The Republican River is formed by the confluence of the North Fork Republican River and South Fork Republican River immediately southeast of Benkelman, Nebraska in Dundy County. Both forks originate in the High Plains of northeastern Colorado.[1][3] From the confluence, the river flows generally eastward along the southern border of Nebraska, passing through Swanson Reservoir and Harlan County Reservoir before curving southward into the Smoky Hills region of Kansas. The Republican River joins the Smoky Hill River at Junction City, Kansas to form the Kansas River.
Some cities along the river are McCook, Nebraska, Concordia, Kansas and Junction City, Kansas. Near Concordia is the Republican River Pegram Truss, a bridge that goes over the Republican River that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] History
The river was named after a branch of Pawnee Indians known as "the Republicans" (Stewart 1967:223).[4] Allocation of the water from the Republican River is governed through an agreement called the Republican River Compact, involving the states of Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado.
[edit] Major flooding
[edit] July 1902
On July 9, 1902, the river flooded near Concordia, breaking a dam and re-routing the river by 1/4 of a mile.[5]
[edit] May/June 1935
The storm of May 31/June 1 (called "Nebraska's Deadliest Flood") dumped an average rainfall of nine inches on the river's watershed. This storm was also unique in that it moved in the same direction as the drainage basin. As a result, the Frenchman, Red Willow, Medicine, Deer, Muddy, and Turkey creeks all reached their flood peaks at the same time as the crest passed on the Republican River.
According to witness accounts, the roar of the water could be heard coming down the Republican Valley five miles away. Many survivors also reported that there were two crests - the water came up on May 28, then receded slightly, but the second crest on June 1 greatly exceeded the first. At one point, the water rose six feet in thirty minutes and was ten to fifteen feet higher than the previous record crest. Another account states that the Republican rose 10 feet in 12 minutes in McCook; naturally, anything in the path of that wall of water would be destroyed. Water was twenty feet deep in some places, and the discharge was an incredible 280,000 cubic feet/second - more than 320 times the normal flow today.
Estimates show 113 people killed. over 11,400 to 41,500 head of cattle were killedwith one report stating that carcasses littered roads as to make them impassable. 341 miles of highway and 307 bridges were destroyed with 74,500 acres of farmland were inundated.[6]
[edit] Popular culture
The river is mentioned as a landmark in the Chapter 30 of the book Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Names Information System: South Fork Republican River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Names Information System: Republican River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Names Information System: North Fork Republican River
- ^ Stewart, George R. (1967) Names on the Land. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
- ^ A Proud Past... A Pictorial History of Concordia, Kansas, by Bell, Rachel Lowrey (1998), Marceline, Missouri: D-Books Publishing.
- ^ Nebraska State Historical Society "Republican Flood of 1935-Nebraska's Deadliest Flood"
- ^ Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, first published 1873
