The Clarks River, named for William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...

, is a 66.7 miles (107.3 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Tennessee River

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...

 in the Jackson Purchase

Jackson Purchase

The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when...

 region of western Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. For the greater part of its length, it consists of two parallel forks of approximately equal size, the East Fork and the West Fork. The East Fork, shown on federal maps as the main stem of the river, begins south of Murray

Murray, Kentucky

Murray is a city in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,741 at the 2010 census and has a micropolitan area population of 37,191. It is the 22nd largest city in Kentucky...

 near the community of Puryear

Puryear, Tennessee

Puryear is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 667 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Puryear is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

 in Henry County and is paralleled by the Paducah, Tennessee and Alabama Railroad. The West Fork begins about 4 miles (6 km) west of Murray near the intersection of Jones-Sparkman and Butterworth Roads in Calloway County and flows through Kaler

Kaler, Kentucky

Kaler is an unincorporated community in Graves County, Kentucky, United States....

 and Symsonia

Symsonia, Kentucky

Symsonia is a census-designated place in Graves County, Kentucky, United States. The community lies in the far northeastern part of the county, southeast of Paducah, northwest of Benton, and north of the county seat Mayfield, in the Jackson Purchase region of the state...

 in Graves County

Graves County, Kentucky

Graves County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was formed in 1824. As of 2000, the population was 37,028. Its county seat is Mayfield. The county is named for Major Benjamin Franklin Graves, soldier in the War of 1812...

 before joining with the east fork at Oaks Station in McCracken County

McCracken County, Kentucky

McCracken County is a county located in the Jackson Purchase, the extreme western end of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 65,514. The county seat, largest city, and only incorporated community is Paducah....

.

The Clarks River streams from Murray in Calloway County through Benton

Benton, Kentucky

Benton is a city in Marshall County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 4,197 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County....

 in Marshall County

Marshall County, Kentucky

Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...

 and ends in Paducah

Paducah, Kentucky

Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...

 (McCracken County), where the mouth of the river intersects with the Tennessee River. This river is full of wildlife and full of water moccasin. Documented evidence states that many native American encampments and Indian tribes camped and lived along its banks. To this day artifacts have been found including spearheads, arrowheads and pottery.

The river is the namesake for Clarks River Road in Paducah.