Solomon River (Kansas)

Description

The Solomon River, often referred to as the Solomon Fork, is a 184-mile-long (296 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. The Native 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. The Solomon River is formed by the confluence of the North Fork Solomon River and South Fork Solomon River 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 184 miles (296 km) 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.