Canadian River

2025-08-10T03:28:57Z

2600:1008:A030:69D7:DD82:F6B2:7874:8629:

{{Short description|River in the western United States}}
{{about|the river in the southwestern United States|other uses|Canadian River (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox river
| name = Canadian
| name_native =
| name_native_lang =
| name_other =
| name_etymology =

| image = Canadian River Railroad Bridge Logan New Mexico 2010.jpg
| image_caption = Canadian River south of [[Logan, New Mexico]]
| image_size = 300
| map = Canadian River basin map.png
| map_size = 300
| map_caption = Canadian River watershed (yellow) within the Arkansas River watershed
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_map_size = 300
| pushpin_map_caption=

| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type2 = State
| subdivision_name2 = [[Oklahoma]], [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]], [[Texas]]
| subdivision_type3 =
| subdivision_name3 =
| subdivision_type4 =
| subdivision_name4 =
| subdivision_type5 =
| subdivision_name5 =

| length = {{convert|1026|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| width_min =
| width_avg =
| width_max =
| depth_min =
| depth_avg =
| depth_max =
| discharge1_location= [[Whitefield, Oklahoma]]
| discharge1_min = {{convert|357|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|6434|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max = {{convert|281000|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}

| source1 = [[Rocky Mountains]]
| source1_location = [[Las Animas County, Colorado]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|37|01|11|N|105|04|33|W|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation = {{convert|2900|m|abbr=on}}
| mouth = [[Arkansas River]] (1st place)<br>[[North Canadian River]] (2nd place)
| mouth_location = [[Haskell County, Oklahoma]] (1st place)<br>near [[Eufaula, Oklahoma]] (2nd place)
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|35|27|12|N|95|01|58|W|display=inline,title}} (1st place)<br>{{coord|35|16|20|N|95|32|03|W}} (2nd place)
| mouth_elevation = {{convert|142|m|abbr=on}}
| progression =
| river_system =
| basin_size = {{convert|47576|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| tributaries_left =
| tributaries_right =
| custom_label =
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}}

The '''Canadian River''' is the longest [[tributary]] of the [[Arkansas River]] in the United States. It is about {{convert|1026|mi|km}} long, starting in [[Colorado]] and traveling through [[New Mexico]], the [[Texas Panhandle]], and [[Oklahoma]]. The drainage area is about {{convert|47700|mi2|km2}}.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CA039 Dianna Everett, "Canadian River." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163126/http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CA039 |date=2015-04-02 }} Retrieved October 7, 2013.</ref>

The Canadian is sometimes referred to as the South Canadian River to differentiate it from the [[North Canadian River]] that flows into it.

==Etymology==
On [[John C. Fremont]]'s route map of 1845, the river's name is listed as "''Goo-al-pah'' or Canadian River" from the [[Comanche language|Comanche]] and [[Kiowa language|Kiowa]] name for the river (Kiowa ''gúlvàu'', {{IPA|[ɡúᵈl.pʼɔː]}} red river). In 1929, Muriel H. Wright wrote that the Canadian River was named about 1820 by French traders who noted another group of traders from Canada (''[[Canadiens]]'') had camped on the river near its confluence with the Arkansas River.<ref>Wright, Muriel H. "Some Geographic Names of French Origin in Oklahoma", ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', 7(2):188–193, June 1929.</ref>

According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Spanish explorers in the 17th and 18th centuries called it the ''Rio Buenaventura'' and the ''Magdalena''.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/> The upper part was called ''Rio Colorado'' by the Spanish.

A more recent explanation comes from [[William Bright]], who wrote that the name is "probably derived from ''Río Canadiano''", a Spanish spelling of the [[Caddo language|Caddo]] word ''káyántinu'', which was the [[Caddo people]]'s name for the nearby [[Red River of the South|Red River]].<ref name="Bright2004">{{cite book|last=Bright|first=William|author-link=William Bright|title=Native American placenames of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA78|access-date=8 March 2011|year=2004|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|page=78}}</ref>

The name could be of Spanish origin from the word ''cañada'' (meaning "glen"), as the Canadian River formed a steep canyon in northern New Mexico and a somewhat broad canyon in Texas. A few historical records document that explanation. Edward Hale, writing in 1929, considered the French origin of the name most probable.<ref>Hale, Edward E. "French Place-Names in New Mexico", ''French Review'', 3(2):110–112, November 1929.</ref> In fact, the river was regularly used by Canadian fur traders (such as Louis Feuilli and Jean Chapuis, as well as the Mallet brothers) trying to establish contact with Santa Fe as early as 1752.<ref>Alain Roy, “Sur la piste de Santa Fe, 1721–1880,” in ''La francophonie nord-américaine'', ed. Yves Frenette, Étienne Rivard, and Marc St-Hilaire, Atlas historique du Québec (Québec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 2012), 102, https://atlas.cieq.ca/la-francophonie-nord-americaine/la-francophonie-nord-americaine.pdf .</ref>

==History==
The first European to explore the Canadian River was [[Juan de Oñate]], the Spanish governor of New Mexico, who followed the river from its origin to the western plains of what is now Oklahoma in 1601. Spanish traders and hunters were soon actively working in this area.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/> French voyageurs were active along the lower Canadian. Bénard de la Harpe explored between the mouth of the river and the [[Kiamichi Mountains]] in 1715. [[Pierre Antoine and Paul Mallet|Pierre and Paul Mallet]] followed the entire length of the river in 1740, as did another expedition led by Fabry de la Bruyère in 1741.{{efn|André Fabry de la Bruyère was a French government official of New Orleans, who led the second expedition up the Canadian River.}} The [[Louisiana Purchase]] in 1803 resulted in all of the land east of the New Mexico border being acquired by the United States.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/>

In 1818, the Quapaw tribe ceded all its land north of the Canadian to the United States, thus making this river the effective southern boundary of the new nation. In 1825, the Osage ceded their claims to land along the river. The Canadian was designated as the boundary between the Creek-Seminole lands on the north side and the Choctaw (and later the Chickasaw) on the south side. Major Stephen H. Long led an expedition up the Canadian River in 1821. He proclaimed the land along the river as the [[Great American Desert]]. Despite this assessment, trading posts were established along the river, starting with Edwards' Post at the mouth of Little River. Camp Holmes was established by Colonel Henry Dodge's Dragoons in 1834. Captain Nathan Boone led a dragoon troop up the river to the 100th meridian, which was then the western border of the United States.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/> ''See also: [[Stephen H. Long's Expedition of 1820]]''

The [[Treaty of Doak's Stand]] in 1820, made the Canadian River the northern boundary of the [[Choctaw]] Nation. Early immigrants to [[California]] followed the south bank of the Canadian to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]]. In 1845, the river was explored by Lieutenants [[James William Abert]] and William G. Peck of the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers#History|U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers]].<ref>[http://www.topogs.org/b_abertjw.html U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers. "James William Abert 1820 - 1897".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801234355/http://www.topogs.org/b_abertjw.html# |date=2015-08-01 }} Accessed March 8, 2015.</ref> Their journey was chronicled in the ''Journal of Lieutenant J.W. Abert from Bent's Fort to St. Louis'', first published in 1846.

[[Randolph B. Marcy]] commanded a military expedition to lay out a trail along the Canadian River in 1849. The trail, which was thereafter called the [[California Road]], followed the south side of the river and was soon followed by large numbers of emigrants to California via Santa Fe, especially after the 1849 discovery of gold in California. Travel along the road was sharply curtailed during the American Civil War, as Union and Confederate forces fought for control of [[Indian Territory]].<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/>

Lieutenant [[Amiel Weeks Whipple]] led an expedition in 1853 to find a railroad route across Indian Territory. It covered some of the same ground as that explored by Abert and Marcy. Whipple's group provided extensive reports about the region's flora and fauna. The group's cost estimates, though, discouraged proponents from building a railroad along the proposed route. Later, the cumulative reports of Abert, Marcy, and Whipple changed public opinion about the "Great American Desert" and encouraged interest in developing the region.<ref>[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entryname=WHIPPLE%20EXPEDITION Vernon L. Volpe, "Whipple Expedition." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402155311/http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entryname=WHIPPLE%20EXPEDITION |date=2015-04-02 }} Accessed March 8, 2015.</ref>

In 1890, when Oklahoma Territory was proclaimed, the river formed part of the boundary between Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/> This boundary was ended when the State of Oklahoma was created in 1907.

==Course==
The river rises on the east side of the [[Sangre de Cristo Mountains]], around {{convert|9600|ft|m|abbr=on}} above sea level,<ref>{{GNIS|1101881|Canadian River}}</ref> in remote southwestern [[Las Animas County, Colorado]], roughly {{convert|1.5|mi|abbr=on}} north of the New Mexico border.{{efn|The ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' gives the coordinates of the river's origin as approximately 37˚01´ N, 105˚03´ W.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/>}} An upper tributary of the Vermejo River heads around {{Convert|12,000|ft|m}} in elevation in the Culebra Range and has a confluence with the Canadian south of Maxwell, New Mexico. Overall, the meandering course is {{convert|1026|miles|km}} from its origin to its confluence with the Arkansas River. The main tributaries are the North Canadian, [[Little River (Canadian River)|Little]], and [[Deep Fork River]]s.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/>

After rising in Colorado, the Canadian flows east-southeast across the New Mexico border, then south, passing west of [[Raton, New Mexico]]. It forms a deep canyon south of [[Springer, New Mexico]]. The [[Sabinoso Wilderness]] area is located in side canyons near the river. At its first [[dam]] at [[Conchas Lake]], the river turns eastward. It is also dammed at [[Logan, New Mexico]], where it forms [[Ute Dam|Ute Lake]]. From there it crosses the [[Texas Panhandle]], dammed at [[Sanford, Texas]], where it forms [[Lake Meredith]]. The canyon the river carves through eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle is the northern border of the [[Llano Estacado]], separating it from the rest of the [[Great Plains]]. From Texas, the Canadian continues eastward into Oklahoma, passing just south of [[Oklahoma City]]. At [[Eufaula, Oklahoma]], it flows into [[Eufaula Lake]], the largest on this river. About {{convert|20|mi|km}} downstream, it joins the Arkansas River at [[Robert S. Kerr Reservoir]], around {{convert|40|mi|km}} west of the [[Arkansas]] border.

For most of its length, the Canadian is a slow-moving waterway bounded by red mud flats and [[quicksand]]. When sufficient [[rain]] has fallen, the river can carry substantial amounts of water. The river is now under the control of the Canadian River Commission.<ref name="EOHC-CanadianRiver"/>

==Images==
<gallery widths="200px">
File:Canadian canyon.jpg|[[File:Lake Meredith during wet season.jpg|thumb|Lake Meredith in the background, facing Northeast. Canadian River on left side.]]Canadian River Canyon in [[Kiowa National Grassland]], [[Eastern New Mexico]]
File:Wooden bridge over Canadian River, Canadian, TX IMG_6058.JPG|Wooden bridge over the Canadian River in [[Hemphill County, Texas]]
File:Canadian River Calvin Oklahoma.jpg|Canadian River at [[Calvin, Oklahoma]]
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==See also==
*[[List of Colorado rivers]]
*[[List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem)]]
*[[List of New Mexico rivers]]
*[[List of Oklahoma rivers]]
*[[List of Texas rivers]]
*[[Pecos River]]
*[[Rio Grande]]
*[[Brazos River]]
*[[White River (Texas)]]
*[[Double Mountain (Texas)]]
*[[Canadian, Texas]]
*[[North Canadian River]]
*[[Canadian County, Oklahoma]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rnc02 "Canadian River", Handbook of Texas Online]
*Sketch of the Canadian River in [https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metapth5828/ ''A pictorial history of Texas'' by Thrall, H.S.], Portal to Texas History, University of Texas.
*[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CA039 ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' - Canadian River]
*[http://library.okstate.edu/collections/digital-collections/oklahoma-digital-maps-collection/ Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory]
*{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Canadian River|short=x}}
*{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Canadian River|short=x}}

{{Waters of Texas}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Colfax County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Rivers of Quay County, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Rivers of Las Animas County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Mississippi River watershed]]
[[Category:Rivers of Colorado]]
[[Category:Rivers of New Mexico]]
[[Category:Rivers of Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Rivers of Texas]]
[[Category:Tributaries of the Arkansas River]]

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Canadian River