Sappa Creek

Sappa Creek is a stream in the central Great Plains of North America. A tributary of the Republican River, it flows for 150 miles (240 km) through the American states of Kansas and Nebraska.^[2]

Sappa Creek
Sappa Creek Bridge spanning the creek
Location
Country	United States
State	Kansas, Nebraska
Physical characteristics
Source confluence
• location	Oberlin, Kansas
• coordinates	39°47′05″N 100°34′42″W
• elevation	2,570 ft (780 m)
Mouth	Republican River
• location	Orleans, Nebraska
• coordinates	40°06′52″N 99°28′46″W[1]
• elevation	1,965 ft (599 m)
Length	150 mi (240 km)
Basin features
Progression	Sappa Creek → Republican River → Kansas River → Missouri River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico
Tributaries
• right	Beaver Creek

Geography

Sappa Creek originates in the High Plains of northwest Kansas.^[3] It is formed by the confluence of North Fork Sappa Creek and South Fork Sappa Creek located roughly 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Oberlin, Kansas in Decatur County.^[4] From there, in flows generally northeast into south-central Nebraska.^[3] In west-central Harlan County, Nebraska, it joins the Republican River.^[2]

History

In 1878, the Sappa Creek valley in Kansas was the scene of the last raid by Native Americans (Indians) in Kansas. In the Northern Cheyenne Exodus after the Battle of Punished Woman's Fork, a band of Cheyenne needing horses and provisions raged through the valley, killing more than 30 civilians and raping several woman. Several Cheyenne elderly, women, and children were also killed in the region by soldiers and civilians.^[5] In Oberlin, the Decatur County Last Indian Raid Museum commemorates the Cheyenne raid.^[6]

See also

• List of rivers of Kansas

References

1. "Sappa Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
2. "National Hydrography Dataset". National Hydrography Dataset. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
3. "2003-2004 Official Transportation Map" (PDF). Kansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
4. "General Highway Map - Decatur County, Kansas". Kansas Department of Transportation. November 2009. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
5. Leiker, James N.; Powers, Ramon (2011). The Northern Cheyenne Exodus in History and Memory. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 59–67. ISBN 9780806142210.
6. "Decatur County Last Indian Raid Museum". Decatur County. Retrieved 10 July 2022.