Marais des Cygnes River
| Marais des Cygnes River Big Osage River, Brush Creek, Grand River, Old Aunt Mary River | |
|---|---|
Map of the Osage River watershed including the Marais des Cygnes River | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas, Missouri |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source confluence | |
| • location | Lyon County, Kansas |
| • coordinates | 38°34′05″N 95°58′28″W / 38.56806°N 95.97444°W |
| • elevation | 1,112 ft (339 m) |
| Mouth | Osage River |
• location | Vernon County, Missouri |
• coordinates | 38°01′39″N 94°14′39″W / 38.02750°N 94.24417°W |
• elevation | 722 ft (220 m) |
| Length | 217 mi (349 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | USGS 06916600 near Kansas-Missouri state line |
| • average | 2,189 cu ft/s (62.0 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 129,000 cu ft/s (3,700 m3/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | 110 Mile Creek, Bull Creek |
| • right | Pottawatomie Creek |
| Watersheds | Marais des Cygnes-Osage-Missouri-Mississippi |
The Marais des Cygnes River (/ˌmɛər də ˈziːn, - ˈsiːn, ˈmɛər də ziːn/ MAIR de ZEEN, - zeen, - SEEN, French: [maʁɛ de siɲ]) is a principal tributary of the Osage River, about 217 miles (349 km) long, in eastern Kansas and western Missouri in the United States. Via the Osage and Missouri rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.
The name Marais des Cygnes means "Marsh of the Swans" in French (presumably in reference to the trumpeter swan, which was historically common in the Midwest).
The river is notorious for flash flooding. It is referred to in the song "The River" by Chely Wright. La Cygne, Kansas, in Linn County and Osawatomie, Kansas, in Miami County are gravely affected by its flooding.