Pawnee Watershed - Largest in the World

 By Seth McFarland

Water has always played a major role in the history of the Santa Fe Trail, as did waterways that would direct the traffic on the trail. Across from the Santa Fe Trail Center Museum on Highway 156 in Pawnee County, Kansas are two signs that one does not typically see in proximity to museums. One forbids hitchhiking. The other marks the Pawnee Watershed, the largest watershed district in the world. 

 

The Flood Control Act of 1936 was the federal government’s first effort to establish a national program for flood control. The reservoirs, levees and channelization projects resulting from the Flood Act serve the needs of growing urban populations and protect the rural farmlands and communities across the United States. In 1953, the Kansas legislature passed the Kansas Watershed District Acts. 

 

The Act gave watershed districts authority to construct, operate and maintain works of improvement needed to address water management problems resulting from erosion, floodwater, and/or sediment damage in the watershed. The watersheds are intended to reduce damage to croplands, pasturelands, and fences, and to decrease the risks of floodplain scour and downstream erosion. These projects also inhibit flood damage to 32,390 miles of roads, 5,868 bridges and 2,342 miles of railroads, and provide a range of benefits for farms, ranches, households, recreation opportunities, and environmental conservation. In 2015, only 50% of the projects had been built, only 10 of the 80 watersheds have been completed. Due to declining federal aid, projects have been halted. The projects that have been completed are aging, and had limited life expectancy. 

 

In 1971, the Pawnee Watershed was approved, and most recently amended in 2014. The Pawnee Watershed Joint District No. 81 has constructed 51 flood-retention structures, controlling more than 487,656 acres and impounding a maximum storage of 153,211 acre-feet of runoff water.

Larned, and Pawnee County as a whole, have experienced historic flooding in the past. The Santa Fe Trail crossed the Arkansas (Ar-kansas) River and the Pawnee Fork at several locations throughout Pawnee County. Because of the known flooding in the area, the crossing sites were selected where the riverbed was stable and shallow enough to cross on horse or by wagon. There were two crossings on the Pawnee Form. 

 

There were two crossings of the Pawnee Fork. One was on the south edge of the town of Larned, Kansas, and the other on the west edge on the Larned State Hospital grounds. The southern crossing is no longer visible, but the western or dry route crossing may still be seen and crossed by means of a small bridge. The dry route crossing was difficult at times, and a campsite developed for travelers to wait for ideal crossing conditions. A mail and stage station was located at this crossing in 1859, and this led to the establishment of Fort Larned. 

 

One of the most hazardous fords on the entire length of the Santa Fe Trial was where Highway 56 spans the Pawnee River in Larned. Historic construction long ago destroyed the site, but you can still see the steep banks associated with the crossing. This section of the fork of the Pawnee was always known to be a cool oasis for the weary travelers on the trail, and one of the reasons that the site was selected for the town site of Larned, Kansas.