The
Marais des Cygnes River is a principal
tributaryA tributary is a stream or river which flows into a main stem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body...
of the
Osage RiverThe Osage River is a tributary of the Missouri River, 360 mi long, in central Missouri in the United States. The Osage River is one of the larger rivers in Missouri. The river drains a mostly rural area of 15,300 sq mi...
, about 140 mi (225 km) long, in eastern
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
and western
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Via the Osage and
MissouriThe Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and is the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri likely originates at Brower's Spring at the upper reaches of the Jefferson, before joining the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers in Montana....
Rivers, it is part of the
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. The name
Marais des Cygnes means '
MarshIn geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, and other herbaceous plants. Woody plants will be low-growing shrubs. A marsh is different from a swamp,...
of the
SwanSwans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s' in
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
(presumably in reference to the
Trumpeter SwanThe Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
, which was historically common in the
MidwestThe Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
.) The river is notorious for flash flooding.
The Marais des Cygnes is formed about 3 mi (5 km) north of
ReadingReading is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. The population was 247 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Emporia Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in western
Lyon County, KansasLyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county was named for General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in the Civil War. As of 2000, the population was 35,935...
by the confluence of Elm Creek and One Hundred Forty Two Mile Creek, and flows generally east-southeastwardly through
OsageOsage County is a county located in east-central Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 16,712 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated to be in the year . Its county seat is Lyndon, and its most populous city is Osage City...
,
FranklinFranklin County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population—one of the fastest growing in the state of Kansas—was estimated to be 26,513 in the year 2006. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa...
,
MiamiMiami County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population—one of the fastest growing in the state of Kansas—was estimated to be 30,900 in the year 2006. Its county seat and most populous city is Paola...
and
LinnLinn County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was estimated to be 9,962 in the year 2006. Its county seat is Mound City, and its most populous city is Pleasanton...
Counties in Kansas, and
BatesBates County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 16,653. Its county seat is Butler. The county was organized in 1833 and named after Frederick Bates, the second governor of Missouri....
County in Missouri, past the Kansas towns of
MelvernMelvern is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States, along the Marais des Cygnes River. The population was 429 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Melvern is located at ....
,
QuenemoQuenemo is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States, along the Marais des Cygnes River. The population was 468 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Quenemo is located at ....
,
OttawaOttawa is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the central part of Franklin County, located in east-central Kansas, in the central United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and most populous city of Franklin County...
,
OsawatomieOsawatomie is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States, 61 miles southwest of Kansas City. The population was 4,645 at the 2000 census. It derives its name from two streams near by, the Osage and Potawatomie. In 1900, 4,101 people lived in Osawatomie; in 1910, 4,046. Osawatomie was chartered...
and
La CygneLa Cygne is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the northeast part of Linn County, located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was estimated to be 1,146 in the year 2005...
and through the
Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife RefugeMarais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge is located 39 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area, along the Marais des Cygnes River in Linn County...
.
The
Marais des Cygnes River is a principal
tributaryA tributary is a stream or river which flows into a main stem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body...
of the
Osage RiverThe Osage River is a tributary of the Missouri River, 360 mi long, in central Missouri in the United States. The Osage River is one of the larger rivers in Missouri. The river drains a mostly rural area of 15,300 sq mi...
, about 140 mi (225 km) long, in eastern
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
and western
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Via the Osage and
MissouriThe Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and is the longest river in the United States of America. The Missouri likely originates at Brower's Spring at the upper reaches of the Jefferson, before joining the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers in Montana....
Rivers, it is part of the
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. The name
Marais des Cygnes means '
MarshIn geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, and other herbaceous plants. Woody plants will be low-growing shrubs. A marsh is different from a swamp,...
of the
SwanSwans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s' in
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
(presumably in reference to the
Trumpeter SwanThe Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
, which was historically common in the
MidwestThe Midwestern United States is one of the four geographic regions within the United States of America that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
.) The river is notorious for flash flooding.
Course
The Marais des Cygnes is formed about 3 mi (5 km) north of
ReadingReading is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. The population was 247 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Emporia Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in western
Lyon County, KansasLyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county was named for General Nathaniel Lyon, who was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek in the Civil War. As of 2000, the population was 35,935...
by the confluence of Elm Creek and One Hundred Forty Two Mile Creek, and flows generally east-southeastwardly through
OsageOsage County is a county located in east-central Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 16,712 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated to be in the year . Its county seat is Lyndon, and its most populous city is Osage City...
,
FranklinFranklin County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population—one of the fastest growing in the state of Kansas—was estimated to be 26,513 in the year 2006. Its county seat and most populous city is Ottawa...
,
MiamiMiami County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The county's population—one of the fastest growing in the state of Kansas—was estimated to be 30,900 in the year 2006. Its county seat and most populous city is Paola...
and
LinnLinn County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was estimated to be 9,962 in the year 2006. Its county seat is Mound City, and its most populous city is Pleasanton...
Counties in Kansas, and
BatesBates County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 16,653. Its county seat is Butler. The county was organized in 1833 and named after Frederick Bates, the second governor of Missouri....
County in Missouri, past the Kansas towns of
MelvernMelvern is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States, along the Marais des Cygnes River. The population was 429 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Melvern is located at ....
,
QuenemoQuenemo is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States, along the Marais des Cygnes River. The population was 468 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Quenemo is located at ....
,
OttawaOttawa is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the central part of Franklin County, located in east-central Kansas, in the central United States. The population was 11,921 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and most populous city of Franklin County...
,
OsawatomieOsawatomie is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States, 61 miles southwest of Kansas City. The population was 4,645 at the 2000 census. It derives its name from two streams near by, the Osage and Potawatomie. In 1900, 4,101 people lived in Osawatomie; in 1910, 4,046. Osawatomie was chartered...
and
La CygneLa Cygne is a city situated along the Marais des Cygnes River in the northeast part of Linn County, located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was estimated to be 1,146 in the year 2005...
and through the
Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife RefugeMarais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge is located 39 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area, along the Marais des Cygnes River in Linn County...
. In Missouri, it joins the
Little Osage RiverThe Little Osage River is a tributary of the Osage River in eastern Kansas and western Missouri in the United States. Via the Osage and Missouri Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
at the boundary of Bates and
VernonVernon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 20,454. Its county seat is Nevada. The county was organized on February 27, 1855 and was named for Col. Miles Vernon , a state senator and veteran of the Battle of New Orleans...
Counties to form the Osage River, 6 mi (9.7 km) west of
Schell CitySchell City is a city in Vernon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 286 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Schell City is located at ....
.
In Osage County, Kansas, a US Army Corps of Engineers
damA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions...
causes the river to form Melvern Lake, which is the site of
Eisenhower State ParkEisenhower State Park is a state park in Osage County, Kansas, United States, located 30 miles northeast of Emporia and 35 miles south of Topeka....
.
Floods
The Marais des Cygnes River has a history of flooding. One of the first such floods that has been noted is the
Great Flood of 1844The Great Flood of 1844 is the biggest flood ever recorded on the Missouri River and Upper Mississippi River, in North America, in terms of discharge.The impact was not as great as subsequent floods because of the small population in the region at the time...
known as "Big Water" in Native American legend. Though no measurements were taken, it is estimated to have crested at 40 feet.
After the 1844 flood, there were many floods, and some of the more notable ones include the 1909 flood, cresting at 36.3 feet; the 1915 flood, cresting at 31 feet; the 1928 flood, cresting at 38.65 feet which was a record until the 1951 flood; and the 1944 flood, cresting at 36.5 feet.
One of the most famous happened in the months of June and July 1951, is the
Great Flood of 1951In mid-July 1951, heavy rains led to a great rise of water in the Kansas River and other surrounding areas. Flooding resulted in the Kansas, Neosho, Marais Des Cygnes, and Verdigris river basins. The damage in June and July 1951 exceeded $935 million dollars in an area covering eastern Kansas and...
which crested at 42.25 feet. 41 people were killed and was estimated to cost millions worth of damage. Other rivers that were affected by the flood are the
Kansas RiverThe Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
and
Neosho RiverThe Neosho River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain portions of Missouri and Arkansas. The river is about 460 mi long...
.
As a result of the 1951 floods, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers built
leveeA levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to regulate water levels...
s and flood control systems on the Marais des Cygnes in the 1960s. These levees and pumping stations would help minimize the effects of a major flood.
Variant names
The
United States Board on Geographic NamesThe United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
settled on "Marais des Cygnes River" as the name in 1971. According to the
Geographic Names Information SystemThe Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
, the river has also been known as:
- Big Osage River
- Brush Creek
- Grand River
- Le Marais du Cygne River
- Marais Des Cygnes River
- Marias des Cygnes River
|
Mary de Zene River
Miry Disein River
Old Aunt Mary River
Osage RiverThe Osage River is a tributary of the Missouri River, 360 mi long, in central Missouri in the United States. The Osage River is one of the larger rivers in Missouri. The river drains a mostly rural area of 15,300 sq mi...
Riviere des Osages |
See also