User:Milkeewae24/Salt River (Missouri)

'''Salt River (Missouri) The Salt River is a 78 mile long river in northeastern Missouri. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The river is comprised of 3 main forks; (North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork). The river is impounded by Mark Twain Lake and a re-regulation dam just downstream.

Description The Salt River drains 2,914 sqare miles and 12 counties in northeastern Missouri. These counties include Adair, Audrain, Boone, Calloway, Knox, Macon, Monroe, Pike, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, and Shelby. The North Fork is the longest fork and often referred to as the main stem of the river bringing the Salt Rivers' total length to 197 miles (of which approximately 30 miles under Mark Twain Lake). The North Fork originates in Schuyler County and flows south 119 miles to its confluence with South Fork. The Middle Fork begins in Adair County and flows 116 miles south to its confluence with South Fork in Mark Twain Lake. South Fork originates in Audrain County and flows 68 to its conjunction with Middle Fork. The river is then impounded by Mark Twain Lake and Clarence Cannon Dam in Ralls County. The river then flows 78 miles through Ralls and Pike Counties through the Lincoln Hills to its confluence with the Mississippi just north of Louisiana MO. The Salt Rivers drainage basin is bounded by the Cuivre River basin to the south, the North River and Fabius River basins to the north, the Chariton River basin to the west, and the Missouri River basin to the southwest. The average daily discharge ranges from 67 cf/s to 2,038 cf/s.

History Native Americans lived along the river prior to European settlers arrival. A ceremonial dance painting can be seen on a south facing bluff near Cinncinatti, MO. The river is named for the many salt licks found adjacent to the river. The Joanna Dam project was first proposed in 1937 to curb flooding on the lower Salt River. The dam was officialy renamed to Clarence Cannon Dam and was completed in 1984 creating Mark Twain Lake. A re-regulation dam dam was constructed 9 miles downstream from the Clarence Cannon Dam.

Tributaries The rivers principal tributaries are Spencer Creek in Ralls County and Peno Creek in Pike County...