Newton County, Missouri
Newton County is a county located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 58,114. Its county seat is Neosho. The county was organized in 1838 and is named in honor of John Newton, a her ...
and
Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Ottawa County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,285. Its county seat is Miami. The county was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.Spring River.
The stream
headwaters
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
arise three miles west of
Neosho, Missouri
Neosho (; originally or ) is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city i ...
''Neosho West, MO'', 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1972 (1986 rev.) at at an elevation of approximately 1180 feet. The stream flows to the west-northwest and turns to the southwest as it passes south of the community of
Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...
. The stream continues to the southwest passing through
Seneca, Missouri
Seneca is a city in western Newton County, Missouri, Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. Located on the southwest border of the state, the city is part of the Joplin, Missouri Joplin, Missouri Metrop ...
and enters eastern Oklahoma. The stream flows southwest parallel to U.S. Route 60. The stream enters the Spring River within the waters of the
Grand Lake of the Cherokees
Grand Lake o' the Cherokees is situated in Northeast Oklahoma in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range. It is often simply called Grand Lake. It is administered by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA).
History
The ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma ...
just west of Wyandotte. The confluence was at and an elevation of 741 feet (prior to the lake creation).
The name Lost Creek was given by early settlers due to the difficulty they had locating the stream based on earlier descriptions of the stream and the area.The Missouri State Historical Society: Newton County Place Names, 1928-1945 /ref>