Illinois River (Oklahoma)
| Illinois River | |
|---|---|
The Illinois River, seen here in the upper stretches of Tenkiller Ferry Lake
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| Country | United States |
| Basin features | |
| Main source |
Ozark Mountains 35°52′02″N 94°18′45″W / 35.8673°N 94.3124°W |
| River mouth |
Arkansas River 35°29′50″N 95°06′17″W / 35.4972°N 95.1047°WCoordinates: 35°29′50″N 95°06′17″W / 35.4972°N 95.1047°W |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 98.8 mi (159.0 km) |
Not to be confused with the Illinois River in the state of Illinois.
The Illinois River is a 145-mile-long (233 km) tributary of the Arkansas River in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Osage Indians named it Ne-eng-wah-kon-dah, which translates as "Medicine Stone River." The state of Oklahoma has designated its portion as a Scenic River. The Illinois River is a significant location in the 1961 Wilson Rawls novel, Where the Red Fern Grows.
An unidentified French explorer called this body of water "river des Illinois" after the Illinois Indians who were not, however, usually present in this area. Rather, the earliest known inhabitants were descendants of Caddoans who built the Spiro Mounds at Spiro, Oklahoma. In the 18th century, the Illinois River country was a hunting ground for the Osage Indians. Cherokee began to migrate into the area about 1800. U. S. Army Major James Wilkinson reported passing the mouth of this river in 1806. In 1828, the river was designated as a main waterway for the Cherokees
The Illinois Confederation included the Peoria, Miami, Wei and Kaskaskia tribes. These tribes shared similar language culture and customs and were all classified as Algonquin. The Miami word Ilaniawaki, meaning "real or original ones," became the French term Illinois.
Lake Tenkiller, created by damming the Illinois River beginning in 1947 with completion in 1953, has attracted tourists and fishermen to this once sparsely settled area. Seventy miles of the river between Lake Tenkiller and the Arkansas border, flowing through the Cookson Hills, have been supervised by the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, currently headed by Ed Fite since 1970.
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Wikipedia