Little Arkansas River

The Little Arkansas River (/ɑːrˈkænzəs/ ar-KAN-zəs) is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. A tributary of the Arkansas River, its entire 123-mile (198 km) length lies within the American state of Kansas.^[3]

Little Arkansas River Ne Shuta Shinka River[1]
The Little Arkansas River near Sedgwick, Kansas
Location
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Ellsworth County, Kansas
• coordinates	38°31′46″N 98°09′18″W
• elevation	1,759 ft (536 m)
Mouth	Arkansas River
• location	Wichita, Kansas
• coordinates	37°41′29″N 97°20′57″W[1]
• elevation	1,283 ft (391 m)
Length	123 mi (198 km)
Discharge
• location	USGS 07144200 at Valley Center, KS[2]
• average	315 cu ft/s (8.9 m3/s)
• minimum	1.1 cu ft/s (0.031 m3/s)
• maximum	28,600 cu ft/s (810 m3/s)
Basin features
Watersheds	Little Arkansas-Arkansas- Mississippi

Geography

The confluence of the Little Arkansas and Arkansas rivers in Wichita, Kansas.

The river originates in central Kansas in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains.^[3][4] Its source lies in extreme south-central Ellsworth County immediately north of Geneseo, Kansas.^[4][5] From there, the river flows generally south-southeast along the border between the Arkansas River Lowlands to the southwest and the McPherson Lowlands to the northeast.^[4] It joins the Arkansas River immediately northwest of downtown Wichita, Kansas.^[4][6]

Points of interest

The Little Arkansas River flows through the north side of Wichita, Kansas, on May 6, 2023.

A statue, The Keeper of the Plains by local artist Blackbear Bosin, marks the confluence of these two rivers.

See also

• List of rivers of Kansas