Solomon River
Encyclopedia
The Solomon River, often referred to as the "Solomon Fork", is a 184 miles (296.1 km) river
in the central Great Plains
of North America
. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state
of Kansas
. It is a tributary
of the Smoky Hill River
.
name for the river was Nepaholla, meaning "Water on the Hill" in reference to Waconda Spring
which was located in the river valley. In 1744, French
explorers named the river Salmon, later corrupted into Solomon, after Edme Gatien de Salmon, a prominent colonial official of French Louisiana
at the time. Other names for the river include Mahkineohe, Riviere de Soucis, Solomons Creek, Wiskapalla River, and Solomons Fork.
at Waconda Lake
in northwestern Mitchell County, Kansas
. Both forks originate in the High Plains
of northwestern Kansas. From Waconda Lake, the Solomon flows southeast for approximately 70 miles through the Smoky Hills
region and joins the Smoky Hill River
immediately south of Solomon, Kansas
in western Dickinson County
.
The Solomon River drainage basin covers an area of 6,835 square miles (17,703 km2). Via the Smoky Hill, Kansas
, and Missouri
Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River
watershed.
Kansas towns along the Solomon River include Cawker City
, Beloit
, and Minneapolis
.
colonization, the Solomon River valley was a popular hunting and trapping area for the Plains Indians
. Tribes that camped along the river included the Pawnee, Cheyenne
, and Kansa
. French
explorer Etienne Venyard de Bourgmont
visited the area in 1712, claiming it for France
. Other French explorers returned in 1744 to survey the area and gave the river its name. With the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803, the region became part of the territory of the United States
. In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike
led an expedition through the area, camping on the Solomon's North Fork near the site of modern Downs, Kansas
. American settlers began to arrive in the 1850s, hunters and trappers initially followed by homesteaders. In 1861, the area became part of the state of Kansas
.
In 1969, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
finished construction of Glen Elder Dam, a dam
for flood control
immediately above Glen Elder, Kansas
on the Solomon River, creating Waconda Lake
.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the central Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US 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 Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It is a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
.
Names
The NativeIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
name for the river was Nepaholla, meaning "Water on the Hill" in reference to Waconda Spring
Waconda Spring
Waconda Spring, or Great Spirit Spring, was a natural artesian spring located in Mitchell County, near the towns of Glen Elder and Cawker City in the U.S. state of Kansas. It was a sacred site for Native American tribes of the Great Plains and, for a time, became the site of a health spa for...
which was located in the river valley. In 1744, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorers named the river Salmon, later corrupted into Solomon, after Edme Gatien de Salmon, a prominent colonial official of French Louisiana
Louisiana (New France)
Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
at the time. Other names for the river include Mahkineohe, Riviere de Soucis, Solomons Creek, Wiskapalla River, and Solomons Fork.
Geography
The Solomon River is formed by the confluence of the North Fork Solomon River and South Fork Solomon RiverSouth Fork Solomon River
The South Fork Solomon River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state of Kansas...
at Waconda Lake
Waconda Lake
Waconda Lake is a reservoir near Glen Elder, Kansas in northwestern Mitchell County and extending westward into northeastern Osborne County. It is fed by the Solomon River, of which both forks form the lake. Cawker City is located on the north shore of the lake, as is Glen Elder State Park. Waconda...
in northwestern Mitchell County, Kansas
Mitchell County, Kansas
Mitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 6,373...
. Both forks originate in the High Plains
High Plains (United States)
The High Plains are a subregion of the Great Plains mostly in the Western United States, but also partly in the Midwest states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota, generally encompassing the western part of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains...
of northwestern Kansas. From Waconda Lake, the Solomon flows southeast for approximately 70 miles through the Smoky Hills
Smoky Hills
The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the central United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie...
region and joins the Smoky Hill River
Smoky Hill River
The Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
immediately south of Solomon, Kansas
Solomon, Kansas
Solomon is a city in Dickinson and Saline counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,095. The Saline County portion of Solomon is part of the Salina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in western Dickinson County
Dickinson County, Kansas
Dickinson County is a county located in Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 19,754. Its county seat and most populous city is Abilene. It was named in honor of Daniel S. Dickinson.-19th century:In 1887, Mr. Herington successfully got...
.
The Solomon River drainage basin covers an area of 6,835 square miles (17,703 km2). Via the Smoky Hill, Kansas
Kansas River
The 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 Missouri
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
watershed.
Kansas towns along the Solomon River include Cawker City
Cawker City, Kansas
Cawker City is a city in Mitchell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 469. The city is located along the north shore of Waconda Lake.-Geography:Cawker City is located at...
, Beloit
Beloit, Kansas
Beloit is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,835.- History :...
, and Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Kansas
Minneapolis is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,032. Minneapolis is part of the Salina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
History
Before AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
colonization, the Solomon River valley was a popular hunting and trapping area for the Plains Indians
Plains Indians
The Plains Indians are the Indigenous peoples who live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and resistance to White domination have made the Plains Indians an archetype in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.Plains...
. Tribes that camped along the river included the Pawnee, Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
, and Kansa
Kaw (tribe)
The Kaw Nation are an American Indian people of the central Midwestern United States. The tribe known as Kaw have also been known as the "People of the South wind", "People of water", Kansa, Kaza, Kosa, and Kasa. Their tribal language is Kansa, classified as a Siouan language.The toponym "Kansas"...
. French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
explorer Etienne Venyard de Bourgmont
Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont
Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont was a French explorer who documented his travels on the Missouri and Platte rivers in North America and made the first European maps of these areas. He wrote two accounts of his travels, which included descriptions of the Native American tribes he encountered...
visited the area in 1712, claiming it for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Other French explorers returned in 1744 to survey the area and gave the river its name. With the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
in 1803, the region became part of the territory of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike
Zebulon Pike
Zebulon Montgomery Pike Jr. was an American officer and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado is named. As a United States Army captain in 1806-1807, he led the Pike Expedition to explore and document the southern portion of the Louisiana Purchase and to find the headwaters of the Red River,...
led an expedition through the area, camping on the Solomon's North Fork near the site of modern Downs, Kansas
Downs, Kansas
Downs is a city in Osborne County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 900.-History:Downs began as the end point of the Central Branch Railroad in 1879. It became an incorporated town in December of the same year. In 1910, the city had a population of 1,427...
. American settlers began to arrive in the 1850s, hunters and trappers initially followed by homesteaders. In 1861, the area became part of the state of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US 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 Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
In 1969, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
United States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
finished construction of Glen Elder Dam, a dam
Dam
A 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. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
for flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
immediately above Glen Elder, Kansas
Glen Elder, Kansas
Glen Elder is a city in Mitchell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 445.-Geography:Glen Elder is located at...
on the Solomon River, creating Waconda Lake
Waconda Lake
Waconda Lake is a reservoir near Glen Elder, Kansas in northwestern Mitchell County and extending westward into northeastern Osborne County. It is fed by the Solomon River, of which both forks form the lake. Cawker City is located on the north shore of the lake, as is Glen Elder State Park. Waconda...
.
In literature
- Willa CatherWilla CatherWilla Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
mentioned the Solomon River in her 1901 short story El Dorado: A Kansas RecessionalEl Dorado: A Kansas RecessionalEl Dorado: A Kansas Recessional is a short story by Willa Cather. It was first published in New England Magazine in June 1901.-I:Colonel Josiah Bywaters is the sole remaining inhabitant of El Dorado, a Kansas town by the Solomon River...
. Her description says, "it is one of the most futile little streams under the sun, and never gets anywhere. Its sluggish current splits among the sand bars and buries itself in the mud until it literally dries up from weariness and ennui, without ever reaching anything."
See also
- List of Kansas rivers
- North Fork Solomon River
- South Fork Solomon RiverSouth Fork Solomon RiverThe South Fork Solomon River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. The entire length of the river lies in the U.S. state of Kansas...
- Smoky Hill RiverSmoky Hill RiverThe Smoky Hill River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, running through the U.S. states of Colorado and Kansas.-Names:The Smoky Hill gets its name from the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas through which it flows...
- Smoky HillsSmoky HillsThe Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the central United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie...
- Waconda LakeWaconda LakeWaconda Lake is a reservoir near Glen Elder, Kansas in northwestern Mitchell County and extending westward into northeastern Osborne County. It is fed by the Solomon River, of which both forks form the lake. Cawker City is located on the north shore of the lake, as is Glen Elder State Park. Waconda...
External articles
- Donald O. Whittemore, Determination of Waconda Lake Releases Needed for Diluting Saline Water in the Solomon River at Beloit for Municipal Water Supply. A Report Prepared for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources and Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Geological Survey. Open-File Report 2003-49.
- Mandrak, Nicholas E., Changes in fish assemblages, Solomon River basin, Kansas: habitat alterations, extirpations, and introductions. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, October 1, 2002
- Martha B. Caldwell, Exploring the Solomon River Valley in 1869.
- Theo. H. Scheffer, Old Fort Solomon at Lindsey.