Chikaskia River

The Chikaskia River (usually pronounced chi-KAS-kee-uh but often pronounced chi-KAS-kee in southern Kansas) is a 159-mile-long (256 km)^[2] tributary of the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma in the United States.^[4] Via the Salt Fork and Arkansas rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Chikaskia River
The Chikaskia River near the community of Corbin in Sumner County, Kansas
Map of the Salt Fork Arkansas watershed showing the Chikaskia River
Location
Country	United States
State	Kansas, Oklahoma
Region	Great Plains
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Southwest Pratt County, Great Plains, Kansas, United States
• coordinates	37°31′00″N 098°34′43″W[1]
• elevation	925 ft (282 m)
Mouth	Salt Fork of the Arkansas River
• location	Near Tonkawa, Oklahoma, United States
• coordinates	36°37′23″N 097°14′38″W[1]
• elevation	282 ft (86 m)[1]
Length	159 mi (256 km), Southeast[2]
Discharge
• location	near Blackwell
• average	621.8 cu ft/s (17.61 m3/s), USGS water years 1936-2019[3]
Basin features
River system	Salt Fork of the Arkansas River watershed

Course

The Chikaskia River begins as an intermittent stream in southwestern Pratt County, Kansas and initially flows eastwardly into Kingman County, where it turns southeastward for the remainder of its course through Harper and Sumner counties in Kansas and Grant and Kay counties in Oklahoma. In Kay County the river flows past the town of Blackwell and flows into the Salt Fork 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Tonkawa.^[4][5][6]

Variant names

The United States Board on Geographic Names settled on "Chikaskia River" as the river's official name and spelling in 1897. According to the Geographic Names Information System, the river has also been known as "Chicaskia River", "Sha wa cas kah River", and "Sha-wa-cas-kah River."^[7]

Fishing

The Chikaskia River at Blackwell, Oklahoma

The Chikaskia River and the Salt Fork are known for their large catfish.

See also

• List of Kansas rivers
• List of Oklahoma rivers
• USS Chikaskia (AO-54) is named after the river