Wakarusa River
| Wakarusa River | |
 Falls of the Wakarusa River
|
|
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Kansas |
| Source | |
| - location | Wabaunsee County, Kansas |
| - elevation | 1,261 ft (384 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°53′44″N 95°57′36″W / 38.89556°N 95.96000°W |
| Mouth | Kansas River |
| - location | Eudora, Kansas |
| - elevation | 781 ft (238 m) |
| - coordinates | 38°57′22″N 95°04′56″W / 38.95611°N 95.08222°WCoordinates: 38°57′22″N 95°04′56″W / 38.95611°N 95.08222°W |
| Length | 80.5 mi (130 km) |
| Discharge | for USGS 06891500 near Lawrence, KS |
| - average | 219 cu ft/s (6 m3/s) |
| - max | 22,600 cu ft/s (640 m3/s) |
| - min | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| Watersheds | Wakarusa—Kansas—Missouri—Mississippi |
| Reservoirs | Clinton Lake |
The Wakarusa River is a tributary of the Kansas River, approximately 80.5 miles (129.6 km) long, in eastern Kansas in the United States. It drains an agricultural area of rolling limestone hills south of Topeka and Lawrence.
It rises in several branches located southwest of Topeka. The main branch rises on the Wabaunsee-Shawnee county line, approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Topeka and flows east. The South Branch rises in eastern Wabaunsee County, approximately 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Topeka and flows east-northeast, joining the main branch south of Topeka.
The main branch flows generally east, flowing south of Lawrence. It joins the Kansas River in Douglas County at Eudora, approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Lawrence. It is impounded by Clinton Dam approximately 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Lawrence to form Clinton Lake.
The river is known for its gentle current that winds through river-level outcropping rocks, primarily of Pennsylvanian limestone. This reach of the river was inhabited by different Native American tribes, including the Kansa and Osage Nation in the 18th century.
During 1819-1820, Major Stephen H. Long referred to this tributary as "Warreruza". According to an Indian legend, when a young woman was crossing the river on horseback, she exclaimed "Wakarusa!", meaning "hip deep", and the name stuck.
...
Wikipedia