North Fork Solomon River

North Fork Solomon River
North Fork Solomon River at Portis, Kansas
Map of the Smoky Hill drainage basin including the North Fork Solomon River
Location
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Thomas County, Kansas
• coordinates	39°16′52″N 101°16′55″W
• elevation	3,362 ft (1,025 m)
Mouth	Waconda Lake
• location	Cawker City, Kansas
• coordinates	39°28′23″N 98°26′00″W
• elevation	1,453 ft (443 m)
Length	287 mi (462 km)
Discharge
• location	USGS 06872500 at Portis, KS
• average	121 cu ft/s (3.4 m3/s)
• minimum	0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s)
• maximum	32,300 cu ft/s (910 m3/s)
Basin features
Watersheds	North Fork Solomon-Solomon-Smoky Hill-Kansas-Missouri-Mississippi

The North Fork Solomon River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. Its entire 287-mile (462 km) length lies within the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a tributary of the Solomon River.

Geography

The North Fork Solomon River originates in the High Plains of northwest Kansas. Its source lies in west-central Thomas County roughly 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Brewster, Kansas. From there, it flows generally east-northeast into the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas. Southeast of Phillipsburg, Kansas, the river joins its tributary Bow Creek to feed Kirwin Reservoir. From the reservoir's dam, the river flows east, then turns southeast near Gaylord, Kansas. Immediately south of Cawker City in northwestern Mitchell County, the North Fork joins the South Fork Solomon River to feed Waconda Lake.

History

In 1955, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation completed a dam on the river immediately south of Kirwin, Kansas for flood control, creating Kirwin Reservoir.

See also

• List of rivers of Kansas