The Canadian River is the largest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about 760 miles long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma. A tributary (or affluent or confluent) is a contributory stream, a river that does not reach the sea, but joins another major river (a parent river), to which it contributes its waters, swelling its discharge. ... Lower Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a tributary of the Mississippi which flows east and southeast through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and the state of Arkansas. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269,837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... Official language(s) None, English and Spanish de facto Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 5th 315,194 km² 550 km 595 km 0. ... The Texas Panhandle is a region of the state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 20th 181,196 km² 355 km 645 km 1. ...

It rises on the east side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, at approximately 9600 ft, in remote southwestern Las Animas County, Colorado, approximately 1.5 mi (2.5 km) north of the New Mexico border. It flows ESE across the border, then south, passing west of Raton, New Mexico. It forms a deep canyon south of Springer, New Mexico. At its first dam at Conchas Lake, the river turns eastward. It is also dammed at Logan, New Mexico, where it forms 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 is dammed once again, forming Lake Eufaula, its largest. About 20 miles downstream it joins the Arkansas River, about 40 miles west of the Arkansas border. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in the United States. ... Las Animas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. ... Official language(s) None, English and Spanish de facto Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 5th 315,194 km² 550 km 595 km 0. ... Raton is a city located in Colfax County, New Mexico. ... Springer is a town located in Colfax County, New Mexico. ... Scrivener Dam, in Canberra, Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ... Logan is a village located in Quay County, New Mexico. ... The Texas Panhandle is a region of the state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. ... Sanford is a town located in Hutchinson County, Texas. ... Lake Meredith is a man-made lake formed by a dam on the Canadian River at Sanford, Texas. ... Llano Estacado is a region in the southwestern United States that encompasses parts of northeastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. ... The Great Plains is the broad expanse of prairie which lies east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America and Canada, covering all or parts of the U.S. states of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota and the... Nickname: Capital of the New Century Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Eufaula is a city located in McIntosh County, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,639. ... Lake Eufaula (also spelled Lake Eufala) is a lake extending across the border between Alabama and Georgia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 29th 137 732 km² 385 km 420 km 2. ...

Much of the time the Canadian is just a slow trickle bounded by red mud flats and quicksand. When sufficient rain has fallen, the river can carry substantial amounts of water. Quicksand and warning sign at a gravel extraction site. ... Rain falling For other uses see Rain (disambiguation). ...

The Canadian is sometimes referred to as the South Canadian River to differentiate it from the North Canadian River that flows into it. North Canadian River is a river in the United States. ...

It is unclear why the river is called the Canadian. Some believe that early explorers thought that the river flowed into Canada. It does flow northeast through part of the Texas Panhandle.

The river was explored in 1845 by Lieutenants James William Abert and William G. Peck of the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. Their journey was chronicled in the Journal of Lieutenant J.W. Abert from Bent’s Fort to St. Louis, first published in 1846. 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... James William Abert. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

See also

• List of Colorado rivers
• List of New Mexico rivers
• List of Oklahoma rivers
• List of Texas rivers

This is a partial list of rivers in the state of Colorado in the United States. ... This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of New Mexico. ... This is a list of rivers in the state of Oklahoma Arkansas River Beaver River Canadian River Caney River Cimarron River Deep Fork River Illinois River Kiamichi River Neosho River North Canadian River Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River Red River Salt Fork Arkansas River Salt Fork Red River Verdigris... This is a partial list of the rivers in the state of Texas in the United States. ...

External link

• Handbook of Texas Online -- Canadian River
• Sketch of the Canadian River from A pictorial history of Texas, from the earliest visits of European adventurers, to A.D. 1879, hosted by the Portal to Texas History.