Blue River (Missouri River tributary)

The Blue River (also known as the Big Blue River) is a 39.8-mile-long (64.1 km)[2] stream that flows through Johnson County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri, in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The river rises in Johnson County near the border of the states of Kansas and Missouri. Crossing the city of Kansas City, Missouri, it empties into the Missouri River near the border between Kansas City and Independence, Missouri.

Blue River
Big Blue River
Blue River at Byram's Ford where the Battle of Byram's Ford (a skirmish of the Battle of Westport) was fought by Swope Park
Blue River in the Kansas City metropolitan area
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKansas, Missouri
CityKansas City
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationEast Johnson County, Kansas, United States
 • coordinates38°48′31″N 094°40′50″W[1]
 • elevation725 ft (221 m)
MouthMissouri River
 • location
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
 • coordinates
39°07′48″N 094°28′15″W[1]
 • elevation
221 ft (67 m)[1]
Length39 mi (63 km), Northeast[2]
Discharge 
 • locationStadium Drive, Kansas City
 • average295 cu/ft. per sec.[3]
Basin features
River systemMissouri River
Tributaries 
 • leftBrush Creek (Blue River)

Its major tributaries are Brush Creek, Tomahawk Creek, and Indian Creek.

Recreational Activities

Along the Blue River can be found many miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails. Portions of these trails trace the path of a former steam railroad track of the Missouri Pacific Railroad line that ran from Dodson, Missouri south to Martin City, Missouri. This rail bed followed the Blue River and had many curves. The route was straightened in 1954 with the use of three high trestle bridges over the Blue River and one substantial cut. This improved line is now the Union Pacific / KC Southern Mainline and generally parallels the Blue river into the bottoms railyard near Front Street in Kansas City.

History

On the high bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Blue River and the Missouri River can be found a large Native American mound structure, designated as Indian Mound Park in the Indian Mound neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri.

The three western trails, the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails crossed the river just north of Red Bridge Road and Minor Park. Mountain man/ fur trapper Jim Bridger had a trading post at this location.

During the Civil War, the Blue River was the site of the Battle of Byram's Ford.

See also

References
  1. "Blue River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1978-10-13. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 31, 2011
  3. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/annual/?format=sites_selection_links&search_site_no=06893578&agency_cd=USGS&referred_module=sw
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