1. Where does Tribal ownership begin on the Arkansas River? The ownership starts at the Mouth of the Verdigris River.

2. Where does Tribal ownership stop? The ownership stopped at the Arkansas State Line.

3. How many miles of the river do they own? Approximately 89 miles with approximately 25,545.78 acres. 

4. What portion of the Arkansas River belongs to the Cherokee Nation? That portion of the river from the mouth of the Verdigris River to the Confluence of the Canadian River. 

5. How many miles is that? Forty miles with 10,589.47 river acres and 1,080.14 dry bed acres. 

6. What portion of the Arkansas River Is owned jointly by the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Tribes? The confluence of the Canadian River to the Arkansas State Line.

7. How many miles from South Canadian to Robert S. Kerr Dam? 20 miles with approximately 8379.77 wet and 706.26. A total of 9,086.03 acres. 

8. How many miles from Robert S. Kerr to Arkansas State Line? Twenty-nine miles with 4,790.14 wet acres. 

9. How many acres did the three tribes give up in the Settlement Act? After years of negotiation following the Supreme Court ruling, the tribes reached a settlement agreement with the United States government over using the riverbed. Late in 2002, Congress passed the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nations Claims Settlement Act, whereby the Tribes received payment for past damages and the value of dry bed claim areas in the lower reach of the river in exchange for relinquishment of all claims to their dry bed claim areas that third parties occupied. The three tribes gave up those lands to private citizens, including some Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nations members, who occupy approximately 11,000 - 14,000 thousand acres of tribal claim area along the Arkansas River. This settlement kept the federal government from pursuing court action to remove those Oklahoma citizens from that land. Those court proceedings would be costly to the government and the individuals involved and take many years to resolve.

10. How do we contact you:  Arkansas Riverbed Director