Occupying approximately 41,000 acres (170 km2; 64 sq mi) in central Kansas, it is the largest wetland in the interior United States.

[3][4] The Bottoms is a critical stopping point on the Central Flyway for millions of birds which migrate through the region annually.

[6] In 1900, a project known as the Koen Ditch attempted to divert Arkansas River water 12 miles (19 km) to the Bottoms so that it could be used for irrigation.

Kansas politicians including Clifford Hope, Charles Curtis, Henry Allen and Arthur Capper made an unsuccessful plea to get federal money to convert it into a National Wildlife Refuge.

[7] Following the Pittman–Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, which taxed sporting arms and ammunition, funds became available to develop the Bottoms.

One of the most popular theories is that Cheyenne Bottoms was created as a sinkhole when incoming freshwater dissolved underground salt.

Waterfowl hunting, primarily for geese, is permitted along the southern border of the state wildlife management area.

[4] As a critical habitat for threatened and endangered bird species, Cheyenne Bottoms is one of 29 places in the United States on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance.

[16] A core 19,857 acres (80.36 km2; 31.03 sq mi) parcel belongs to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP).

The Kansas State and Nature Conservancy lands are managed with the objective of providing a diverse marsh habitat for the use of migrating and breeding waterfowl and shorebirds.

[4] On January 29, 2008, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms were jointly named as one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas.