The North Fork Spring River is a stream in

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

, Dade, Barton and

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

counties of southwest

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

.Feature Detail Report for: North Fork Spring River, U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System
/ref> It is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

to the Spring River. The

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 ...

are located in northwest Lawrence County at and the confluence with the Spring River is in Jasper County at . The stream source is an

intermittent stream Intermittent, temporary or seasonal rivers or streams cease to flow every year or at least twice every five years.(Tzoraki et al., 2007) Such rivers drain large arid and semi-arid areas, covering approximately a third of the earth's surface. ...

just south of the Dade-Lawrence county line and east of county road 1070. The stream flows west and then northwest crossing the county line and

Missouri Route NN A supplemental route is a state secondary road in the U.S. state of Missouri, designated with letters. Supplemental routes were various roads within the state which the Missouri Department of Transportation was given in 1952 to maintain in additi ...

into Dade County just to the east of Missouri Route 97 and about one mile from the source. The stream crosses under Route 97 and flows northwest to exit Dade County and enter Barton County just east of Golden City. The stream flows north passing under U. S. Route 160 east of Golden City and again to the north as its course veers northwest. The stream crosses under 160 again as it passes northeast of Lamar. The stream turns to the west and the south as it passes Lamar and again passing under route 160 and flowing south paralleling U. S. Route 71. The stream crosses under Route 71 and flows south under

Missouri Route 126 Route 126 is a highway located entirely within Barton County in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its western terminus is at the Kansas state line, where K-126 ends. The route goes in a straight line for most of its length, and intersects Intersta ...

and on into Jasper County northwest of

. The stream turns southwest passing north of Preston and meanders west past Neck City prior to its confluence with the Spring River west of the community of Galesburg. At

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest Eng ...

, the river has a mean annual discharge of . The stream has historically been referred to as Dry Fork, Dry Fork Spring River, Muddy Creek, Muddy Fork Spring River and North Fork Creek.

References

Rivers of Barton County, Missouri Rivers of Dade County, Missouri Rivers of Jasper County, Missouri Rivers of Lawrence County, Missouri Rivers of Missouri {{Missouri-river-stub