Tarkio River
| Tarkio River Big Tarkio River | |
|---|---|
Lewis and Clark Expedition maps showing the Tarkio between Nishnabotna and Nodaway River | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa and Missouri |
| County | Cass County, Iowa, Montgomery County, Iowa, Page County, Iowa, Atchison County, Missouri, and Holt County, Missouri |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Pleasant Township |
| • coordinates | 41°11′38″N 95°03′45″W / 41.1938794°N 95.0624898°W |
| • elevation | 1,300 ft (400 m) |
| Mouth | Missouri River |
• location | Union Township |
• coordinates | 40°09′46″N 95°26′19″W / 40.1627768°N 95.438592°W |
• elevation | 866 ft (264 m) |
| Length | 81.1 mi (130.5 km) |
| Basin size | 508 sq mi (1,320 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Fairfax, Missouri |
| • average | 223 cu ft/s (6.3 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 3.3 cu ft/s (0.093 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 1,350 cu ft/s (38 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Tarkio River → Missouri River → Mississippi River → Atlantic Ocean |
Tarkio River is a stream in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri. It is a tributary to the Missouri River and is 81.1 miles long. The river is monitored by USGS at Fairfax, Missouri and is considered a major water source by the Iowa DNR.
The river passes rural areas and figures most prominently in the drainage system nears its mouth in management of Big Lake, Missouri and the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, formerly known as Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Several streams and ditches in the Missouri River bottoms near its mouth contain the Tarkio name.