The St. Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the western side of the Missouri Bootheel.

Description and course

The river rises in a region of granite mountains in Iron County, Missouri, and flows generally southwardly through the Ozarks and the

St. Francois Mountains The St. Francois Mountains in southeast Missouri are a mountain range of Precambrian igneous mountains rising over the Ozark Plateau. This range is one of the oldest exposures of igneous rock in North America. The name of the range is spelled out ...

near Missouri's highest point

Taum Sauk Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Missouri at 1,772 feet (540 m). The topography of Taum Sauk is that of an elongated ridge with a NNW-SSE orientation rather than a peak. ...

. It forms the Missouri-Arkansas border in the Bootheel and eventually exits the state at Missouri's lowest point in the "toe" at above sea level. It passes through Lake Wappapello, which is formed by a dam constructed in 1941. Below the dam the river meanders through cane forests and willow

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

or forested

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

, transitioning from a clear stream into a slow and silt-laden muddy river as it enters the flat lands of the Mississippi embayment. In its lower course the river parallels

Crowleys Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most pro ...

and is part of a navigation and flood-control project that encompasses a network of diversion channels and ditches along it and the Castor and

Little Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

rivers. Below the mouth of the Little River in Poinsett County, Arkansas, the St. Francis is navigable by barge. It joins the Mississippi River in Phillips County, Arkansas, about north of

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

. Along its course in Missouri, the river flows through the Mark Twain National Forest and past

Sam A. Baker State Park Sam A. Baker State Park is a public recreation area encompassing in the Saint Francois Mountains region of the Missouri Ozarks. The state park offers fishing, canoeing, swimming, camping, and trails for hiking and horseback riding. The visitor ...

and the towns of

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia *Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States * Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California * Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia ...

, Greenville and Fisk. In Arkansas it passes the towns of St. Francis, Lake City, Marked Tree and Parkin, and continues through two additional namesakes of the river —

St. Francis County St. Francis County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,258. The county seat is Forrest City. St. Francis County comprises the Forrest City, Arkansas Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

, and St. Francis Township in northeastern Phillips County — ending its course adjoining the

St. Francis National Forest ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

. In addition to the Little River, tributaries of the St. Francis include the

Little St. Francis River The Little St. Francis River is a stream in eastern St. Francois and northeastern Madison counties of southeastern Missouri. It is a tributary of the St. Francis River. The stream headwaters arise in eastern St. Francois County on the north flan ...

, which joins it along its upper course in Missouri; the

Tyronza River Tyronza is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 762 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area and is in the Arkansas Delta. Geography Tyronza is located at (35 ...

, which joins it in Arkansas; and the L'Anguille River, which joins it just above its mouth.

History

The river became the home of Cherokee Indians who attacked a boat on the Tennessee River on June 11, 1794 known as the Muscle Shoals Massacre and had removed to the west. The Spanish authorities allowed the Indian settlement to trade and the area flourished with a population greater than Arkansas Post.

Names

The origin of the river's name is unclear. It might refer to St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order. None of the region's early explorers were Franciscans, however. One possibility is that Jacques Marquette, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, named the river when he explored its mouth in 1673. Before his voyage down the Mississippi Marquette had spent some time at the mission of St. François Xavier, named for the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier. The spelling of the river's name shifted from "François" to "Francis" in the early 20th century. A number of place names in the region stem from the river's name, including

St. Francois County St. Francois County () is a county located in the Lead Belt region in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,922. The largest city and county seat is Farmington. The county was officially organized on Decem ...

and the

.St. Francois County, Missouri Place Names
, Western Historical Manuscript Collection The

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

settled on "St. Francis River" as the stream's name in 1899. According to the Geographic Names Information System, historical names for the river have included: Image:St. Francis River at Silver Mines Recreation Area 2.jpg, The St. Francis River rises in the granite mountains of the eastern Ozarks where it is a clear, rapid stream. File:Saint Francis River, USA 04-09.jpg, Silver Mine Dam on the upper St. Francis River

References

External links

Columbia Gazetteer of North America entry
*

DeLorme DeLorme is the producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company’s main product, ''inReach'', integrates GPS and satellite technologies. ''inReach'' provides the ability to send and receive text messages ...

(2004). ''Arkansas Atlas & Gazetteer''. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. . *

Description and course

History

Names

See also

References

External links