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Many Oklahomans forget the importance of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS). The 445-mile inland waterway system begins at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, running through Oklahoma and Arkansas all the way to the Mississippi River.
The system was authorized by the 1946 Rivers and Harbors Act, but Congress didn’t appropriate the $1.2 billion until 1956. Robert S. Kerr (D-OK) and John L. McClellan (D-AR) pioneered the development of the system, giving it the name it has today. MKARNS officially opened in December 1970 and is operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
