Arikaree River

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title: "Arikaree River" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lowest-points-of-u.s.-states", "rivers-of-colorado", "rivers-of-kansas", "rivers-of-nebraska", "bodies-of-water-of-dundy-county,-nebraska", "tributaries-of-the-republican-river", "rivers-of-lincoln-county,-colorado", "bodies-of-water-of-cheyenne-county,-kansas", "rivers-of-yuma-county,-colorado"] description: "River in the central United States" topic_path: "general/lowest-points-of-u-s-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arikaree_River" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary River in the central United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox river"]

Field	Value
name	Arikaree River
native_name	ari
name_other	Arikara Fork Republican River
name_etymology	Arikaree for "horn"
image	Arikaree River valley 2016-07-12 1283.jpg
image_size	300
image_caption	Arikaree River Valley at the location of the Battle of Beecher Island near Wray, Colorado
map	RepublicanRiverBasin.png
map_size	300
map_caption	Republican River watershed; the Arikaree is in orange at far left
mouth_coordinates
subdivision_type1	Country
subdivision_name1	United States
subdivision_type2	State
subdivision_name2	Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska
source1_location	Elbert County, Colorado
source1_elevation	5908 ft
source1_coordinates
mouth	Republican River
mouth_location	Haigler, Nebraska
mouth_elevation	3241 ft
length	156 mi
discharge1_location	USGS 06821500 at Haigler, NE
discharge1_min	0 cuft/s
discharge1_avg	16.7 cuft/s
discharge1_max	17000 cuft/s
basin_size	1743 sqmi
tributaries_left	North Fork Arikaree River - Black Wolf Creek
custom_data	Arikaree-North Fork Republican River-Republican-Kansas-
Missouri-Mississippi
custom_label	Watersheds
::

|name = Arikaree River |native_name = ari |name_other = Arikara Fork Republican River |name_etymology = Arikaree for "horn" |image = Arikaree River valley 2016-07-12 1283.jpg |image_size = 300 |image_caption = Arikaree River Valley at the location of the Battle of Beecher Island near Wray, Colorado |map = RepublicanRiverBasin.png |map_size = 300 |map_caption = Republican River watershed; the Arikaree is in orange at far left |pushpin_map = |mouth_coordinates = |pushpin_map_size = |pushpin_map_caption = |subdivision_type1 = Country |subdivision_name1 = United States |subdivision_type2 = State |subdivision_name2 = Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |subdivision_type5 = |subdivision_name5 = |source1 = |source1_location = Elbert County, Colorado |source1_elevation = 5908 ft |source1_coordinates = |mouth = Republican River |mouth_location = Haigler, Nebraska |mouth_elevation = 3241 ft |length = 156 mi |width_min = |width_avg = |width_max = |depth_min = |depth_avg = |depth_max = |discharge1_location = USGS 06821500 at Haigler, NE |discharge1_min = 0 cuft/s |discharge1_avg = 16.7 cuft/s |discharge1_max = 17000 cuft/s |progression = |river_system = |basin_size = 1743 sqmi |tributaries_left = North Fork Arikaree River - Black Wolf Creek |tributaries_right = |custom_data = Arikaree-North Fork Republican River-Republican-Kansas- Missouri-Mississippi |custom_label = Watersheds |extra = The Arikaree River is a 156 mi river in the central Great Plains of North America. It lies mostly in the American state of Colorado, draining land between the North and South Forks of the Republican River, and it flows into the North Fork in Nebraska after flowing a short distance through Kansas. It is a designated area within the Colorado Natural Areas Program to protect native and uncommon species that may be endangered or threatened.

The Arikaree River is shrinking due to groundwater pumping at a rate that exceeds the recharge rate of the Ogallala Aquifer, from which the Arikaree River is fed. It is estimated that the Arikaree River will dry about one-half mile by 2045.

Name

The river is named after the Arikara Native Americans, whose name is believed to mean "horn." The name also could mean "elk people" or "corn eaters".

Geography

The source of the Arikaree River is in extreme eastern Elbert County, Colorado on the western edge of the High Plains region of the Great Plains. From there, the river flows generally northeast across the High Plains in eastern Colorado. It then crosses the extreme northwestern corner of Kansas before entering far southwestern Nebraska. At the town of Haigler, the Arikaree enters the North Fork Republican River.

History

Along the river is the site of the 1868 Battle of Beecher Island, which was fought on the small sandbar later named Beecher Island in the middle of the Arikaree River. The battle took place in what is now Yuma County, Colorado. It was considered a loss for the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux tribes, with a confirmed 9 Native Americans killed and an unknown number of casualties taken, alongside a loss of the leader Roman Nose. The Battle of Beecher Island is commemorated annually by the Beecher Island Park and Memorial Association.[

Arikaree River Natural Area

The Arikaree River has been made one of the designated areas under the Colorado Natural Areas Program because it is "part of the largest and best remaining example of a naturally functioning Great Plains river system in Colorado." It has several species of reptiles, fish, and amphibians that are native and uncommon. The area serves as a sanctuary for numerous bird species, including burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, and greater prairie chickens. The habitat is nearly pristine, featuring high-quality riparian and native prairie plants.

References

References

1. {{cite gnis
2. "Water-Data Report 2012 - 06821500 Arikaree River at Haigler, NE". U.S. Geological Survey.
3. "National Hydrography Dataset". [[United States Geological Survey]].
4. Walcott, Charles D.. (1899). "Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior 1897 - 1898: Part IV - Hydrography". U.S. Geological Survey.
5. Dawson, John Frank. (1954). "Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin". The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co..
6. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". U.S. Government Printing Office.
7. Carl Waldman. (September 2006). "Encyclopedia of Native American tribes". Infobase Publishing.
8. "Colorado [Map]". Colorado Department of Transportation.
9. "Physiographic Provinces of Colorado". Colorado Geological Survey.
10. U.S. Geological Survey. "Elevations and Distances".
11. "Arikaree River – Legends of America".
12. "BEECHER ISLAND, BATTLE OF {{!}} Encyclopedia of the Great Plains".
13. "Anniversary of the Battle of Beecher Island & Annual Reunion {{!}} Wray, CO".
14. "Arikaree River - CNAP".

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