Cimarron

The Cimarron Basin covers nearly 6,800 square miles of the southwest corner of Kansas. The basin includes all or parts of 14 counties.  There were an estimated 54,300 residents in this basin in the year 2000, and the population is projected to grow to 68,500 by the year 2040.  The Cimarron National Grassland is located within the basin and covers an area of about 100,000 acres.  The major river in the basin is the Cimarron.  There are no major reservoirs in the basin.  Principal tributaries of the Cimarron River in Kansas are the North Fork Cimarron, Crooked Creek, Bluff Creek and on occasions of high runoff, Bear Creek.

In April 2001, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Cimarron River in Clark, Comanche, Meade and Seward counties, from U.S. Highway 54 bridge downstream to the Kansas-Oklahoma border, as critical habitat for the Arkansas River Shiner.

The climate of the basin is characterized by moderate to low precipitation, relatively high wind velocities, fairly rapid rates of evaporation, a wide range of temperatures and abrupt, sometimes violent changes in weather.

The economy of the basin is very dependent on agriculture.  Crops grown include wheat, corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, forage sorghum and alfalfa. Livestock production is an important component.  Beef cattle are the predominant livestock produced in the basin.  Large cattle feeding operations are common.  Beef processing is also a major economic factor in the basin.

Gas and oil production is widespread and very important to the basin’s economy.  The first gas wells were drilled in the Hugoton field in the early 1920’s, which remains a major national gas producing area.  Other minerals are of minor importance to the basin.