Editing Smoky Hill River (section)

==Geography==
The Smoky Hill River originates in the [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]] of eastern [[Colorado]] and flows east. Both the main course of it and of the [[North Fork Smoky Hill River]] rise in northern [[Cheyenne County, Colorado]].<ref name="gnis"/><ref name=gnis2>{{GNIS|485218|North Fork Smoky Hill River}}</ref> The two streams converge roughly {{convert|5|mi|km|0}} west of [[Russell Springs, Kansas|Russell Springs]] in [[Logan County, Kansas]].<ref name=gnis2/> From there, the river continues generally eastward through the Smoky Hills region. The [[Saline River (Kansas)|Saline River]] joins it in eastern [[Saline County, Kansas|Saline County]].<ref name="Ref_a">{{GNIS|485315|Saline River}}</ref> The [[Solomon River]] joins the Smoky Hill River in western [[Dickinson County, Kansas|Dickinson County]].<ref name="Ref_b">{{GNIS|482755|Solomon River}}</ref> The Smoky Hill River joins the [[Republican River]] at [[Junction City, Kansas]] to form the [[Kansas River]].<ref name="gnis"/>

The Smoky Hill River directly drains an area of {{convert|8810|sqmi|km2}}. The combined Smoky Hill-Saline Basin drains {{convert|12229|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name=watershed>{{cite web | title = Smoky Hill-Saline Basin | publisher = Kansas Water Office | url = http://www.kwo.org/BACs/SHS/SHS.htm | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090107090000/http://www.kwo.org/bacs/SHS/SHS.htm | archive-date = January 7, 2009 }}</ref> The entire Smoky Hill [[drainage basin]] covers approximately {{convert|20000|sqmi|km2}}, including most of north-central and northwestern Kansas.<ref name="Ref_1912">{{Cite book | contribution = Smoky Hill River | title = Kansas: a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. | editor-last = Blackmar | editor-first = Frank W. | volume = 2 | pages = 708–709 | place = [[Chicago]] | publisher = Standard | year = 1912 | contribution-url = http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/s/smoky_hill_river.html}}</ref> Via the Kansas and [[Missouri River|Missouri]] Rivers, the Smoky Hill River is part of the [[Mississippi River]] watershed.

The Smoky Hill River feeds two reservoirs: [[Cedar Bluff Reservoir]] in [[Trego County, Kansas|Trego County]] and [[Kanopolis Lake]] in [[Ellsworth County, Kansas|Ellsworth County]].<ref name=watershed/>

The largest city along the Smoky Hill River is [[Salina, Kansas|Salina]], and other Kansas municipalities include Junction City, [[Ellsworth, Kansas|Ellsworth]], [[Marquette, Kansas|Marquette]], [[Lindsborg, Kansas|Lindsborg]], and [[Abilene, Kansas|Abilene]].<ref name=KDOT>{{cite web | title = KDOT Official Transportation Map 2015-2016 | publisher = Kansas Department of Transportation | url = https://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/bureaus/burTransPlan/maps/state-pdf/2015-16Mapside.pdf | access-date = September 11, 2015}}</ref>