The origin of the name Canadian is still debated. One Oklahoma historian wrote in 1929 that the river was named about 1820 by French traders who met a group of French Canadian trappers camped on its banks near where it flows into the Arkansas River in what is now eastern Oklahoma.

Another authority says the river probably got its name from the Spanish word canada meaning canyon. The Canadian River does form a steeper canyon in northern New Mexico and a somewhat broad canyon in Texas. This explanation has been found in a few historical documents.

A portion of the North Canadian River was more recently renamed the Oklahoma River in Oklahoma County. That segment has been transformed into a series of river lakes with landscaped areas, trails and recreational facilities on the banks.

One Oklahoma lawmaker who called for the name change said the river’s name should promote Oklahoma, not Canada.

The Oklahoma River, at least in Oklahoma County, is the only river named for the state. There is, however, the scenic Illinois River in northeastern Oklahoma.

So far, no one has suggested renaming it or the Caney River, which begins in southern Kansas and flows into Oklahoma. It got its name from Caney, Kansas.

There is the Poteau River that flows north for its entire course through the Quachita Uplands of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. It apparently got its name because early French explorers had to use posts or poles to navigate upstream.

Poteau, Oklahoma, took it name from the river.

Stories about the rivers of Oklahoma would fill a large book. The streams were the life blood of early Oklahoma and remain important today.