The Neosho River, a tributary of Arkansas River, rises in the Flint
Hills of Morris and southwestern Wabaunsee counties and flows southeast
for 281 miles in Kansas, leaving the state in the extreme southeast
corner (Fig. 1). With its tributaries (including Cottonwood and Spring
rivers) the Neosho drains 6,285 square miles in Kansas and enters the
Arkansas River near Muskogee, Oklahoma (Schoewe, 1951:299). Upstream
from its confluence with Cottonwood River, the Neosho River has an
average gradient of 15 feet per mile. The gradient lessens rapidly below
the mouth of the Cottonwood, averaging 1.35 feet per mile downstream to
the State line (Anonymous, 1947:12). The banks of the meandering,
well-defined channel vary from 15 to 50 feet in height and support a
deciduous fringe-forest. The spelling of the name originally was
"Neozho," an Osage Indian word signifying "clear water" (Mead,
1903:216).
[Illustration: FIG. 1. Neosho and Marais des Cygnes drainage
systems. Dots and circles indicate collecting-stations.]
_Neosho River, Upper Station._--Two miles north and two miles west of
Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas (Sec. 32 and 33, T. 15 S., R. 8 E.)
(Pl. 28, Fig. 2, and Pl. 29, Fig. 1). Width 20 to 40 feet, depth to six
feet, length of study-area one-half mile (one large pool plus many small
pools connected by riffles), bottom of mud, gravel, and rubble. Muddy
banks 20 to 30 feet high.
According to H. E. Bosch (landowner) this section of the river dried
completely in 1956, except for the large pool mentioned above. This
section was intermittent in 1954 and 1955; it again became intermittent
in the late summer of 1957 but not in 1958 or 1959.
A second section two miles downstream (on land owned by Herbert White)
was studied in the summer of 1959 (Sec. 3 and 10, T. 16 S., R. 8 E.)
(Pl. 29, Fig. 2 and Pl. 30, Figs. 1 and 2). This section is 20 to 60
feet in width, to five feet in depth, one-half mile in length (six small
pools with intervening riffles bounded upstream by a low-head dam and
downstream by a long pool), having a bottom of gravel, rubble, bedrock,
and mud, and banks of mud and rock, five to 20 feet in height.
_Neosho River, Middle Station._--One mile east and one and one-half
miles south of Neosho Falls, Woodson County, Kansas (Sec. 3 and 4, T. 24
S., R. 17 E.) (Pl. 26, Fig. 1). Width 60 to 70 feet, depth to eleven
feet, length of study-area two miles (four large pools with connecting
riffles), bottom of mud, gravel and rock. Mud and rock banks 30 to 40
feet high.
According to Floyd Meats (landowner) this section of the river was
intermittent for part of the drought.
_Neosho River, Lower Station._--Two and one-half miles west, one-half
mile north of Saint Paul, Neosho County, Kansas (Sec. 16, T. 29 S., R.
20 E.). Width 100 to 125 feet, depth to ten feet, length of study-area
one mile (two large pools connected by a long rubble-gravel riffle),
bottom of mud, gravel, and rock. Banks, of mud and rock, 30 to 40 feet
high (Pl. 26, Fig. 2).
This station was established after one collection of fishes was made
approximately ten miles upstream (Sec. 35, T. 28 S., R. 19 E.). The
second site, suggested by Ernest Craig, Game Protector, provided greater
accessibility and a more representative section of stream than the
original locality.