Arikaree River

The Arikaree River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America. It lies mostly in the American state of Colorado, draining land between the North and South Forks of the Republican River, and it flows into the North Fork in Nebraska after flowing a short distance through Kansas. It is a designated area within the Colorado Natural Areas Program to protect native and uncommon species that may be endangered or threatened.
The Arikaree River is shrinking due to groundwater pumping at a rate that exceeds the recharge rate of the Ogallala Aquifer, from which the Arikaree River is fed. It is estimated that the Arikaree River will dry about one-half mile by 2045.

Name

The river is named after the Arikara Native Americans, whose name is believed to mean "horn." The name also could mean "elk people" or "corn eaters".

The source of the Arikaree River is in extreme eastern Elbert County, Colorado on the western edge of the High Plains region of the Great Plains. From there, the river flows generally northeast across the High Plains in eastern Colorado. It then crosses the extreme northwestern corner of Kansas before entering far southwestern Nebraska. At the town of Haigler, the Arikaree enters the North Fork Republican River. The point where the Arikaree River flows out of Yuma County, Colorado and into Cheyenne County, Kansas, located at, is the lowest point in Colorado at an elevation of. It holds the distinction of being the highest low point of any U.S. state, higher than the highest points of 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Along the river is the site of the 1868 Battle of Beecher Island, which was fought on the small sandbar later named Beecher Island in the middle of the Arikaree River. The battle took place in what is now Yuma County, Colorado. It was considered a loss for the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux tribes, with a confirmed 9 Native Americans killed and an unknown number of casualties taken, alongside a loss of the leader Roman Nose. The Battle of Beecher Island is commemorated annually by the Beecher Island Park and Memorial Association.

The Arikaree River has been made one of the designated areas under the Colorado Natural Areas Program because it is "part of the largest and best remaining example of a naturally functioning Great Plains river system in Colorado." It has several species of reptiles, fish, and amphibians that are native and uncommon. The area serves as a sanctuary for numerous bird species, including burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, and greater prairie chickens. The habitat is nearly pristine, featuring high-quality riparian and native prairie plants.