The Salt River is a tributary of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in eastern

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The river is approximately long and drains an area of in parts of twelve Missouri counties. It rises at the confluence of the North, Middle, and South Forks in Monroe County. Since Clarence Cannon Dam construction was completed in 1983, the first 15 miles of the Salt River after the confluence of the North, Middle, and South Fork have been contained in Mark Twain Lake. Below the dam, the river winds generally east for 63 miles through a rural valley surrounded by low bluffs. Below New London, it receives Spencer and

Peno Creek Peno Creek is a stream in the Pike County in northeastern Missouri. The stream headwaters are north of U. S. Route 54 just west of Bowling Green. The stream flows northwest paralleling U. S. Route 61 then passes under Route 61 south of Frankfo ...

s from the right. The Salt joins the Mississippi River at Ted Shanks Wildlife Conservation Area (River Mile 284) just one mile north of US Route 54 bridge in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

in Pike County. The river was called "Ohaha" by the Native Americans that once lived along its course. It was also known as "the river Jeffreon" in the 1804 Treaty of St. Louis. American author

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

was born in the town of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

on the Salt River in 1835.

References

External links

Map of Mark Twain Lake and DamTed Shanks Wildlife Conservation Area
Rivers of Missouri Tributaries of the Mississippi River Rivers of Monroe County, Missouri Rivers of Pike County, Missouri Rivers of Ralls County, Missouri {{RallsCountyMO-river-stub

See also

References

External links