St. Francis River
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The Saint Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly mountainous rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the western side of the Missouri "bootheel".
The river rises in Iron County, Missouri out of granite mountains. the first major town the river hits is Farmington. The river flows south now and receives the waters of the Little Saint Francis river and Big Creek in Sam A. Baker State Park. Then the river flows south through the Saint Francois Mountains, until it is impounded by Wapapello lake. Immediately below Wapapello lake, the river turns into a silt laden slow stream. Once into lower Wayne county, the river twists and turns through cane forests and willow swamplands, transitioning from a clear stream into a muddy river. The largest town on the river, Kennett, Missouri, has no port facilities. Once into Arkansas, the river receives the Little River, which is part of the C.L.SF.N.S, or the Castor River, Little River, Saint Francis River Navigation System. Downstream from this point, the Saint Francis is navigable by barge. It joins the Mississippi below Helena, Arkansas.