Illinois River (Oklahoma)
The Illinois River is a 145-mile-long (233 km) tributary of the Arkansas River in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Osage Indians named it Ne-eng-wah-kon-dah, which translates as "Medicine Stone River". The state of Oklahoma has designated its portion as a Scenic River.
The Illinois River, seen here in the upper stretches of Tenkiller Ferry Lake
Eastern (upstream) side of the Illinois River Bridge, which spans the Illinois River east of Siloam Springs in the Ozark National Forest portion of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. Built in 1922, this concrete deck arch bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas River Valley. The headwaters derive from the snowpack in the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges. It flows east into Kansas and finally through Oklahoma and Arkansas, where it meets the Mississippi River.
Arkansas River headwaters in Colorado
The headwaters of the Arkansas near Leadville, Colorado
Arkansas River near Sterling Kansas
Arkansas River in Colorado, with Mount Harvard in distance, circa 1867. Photo by William Henry Jackson.
