Canadian River

The Canadian River rises in mountains in New Mexico and flows into the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma - Haskell county. Through its 906 mile length, the Canadian flows through Oklahoma from west to east. This is often a slow-moving waterway bounded by red mud flats and quicksand. When sufficient rain has fallen, the river can carry substantial amounts of water. Native Americans and early explorers used the Canadian as a highway to reach the interior. Traders and hunters operated around the waterway.

Since 1907 the Canadian River has either passed through or formed a boundary between nineteen Oklahoma counties, including Ellis, Roger Mills, Dewey, Custer, Blaine, Canadian, Grady, Cleveland, McClain, Pottawatomie, Pontotoc, Seminole, Hughes, McIntosh, Pittsburg, Muskogee, Haskell, Sequoyah, and LeFlore.

A portion of the North Canadian in Oklahoma City is now a recreation area renamed the Oklahoma River.