Courtois Creek
| Courtois Creek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Huzzah Creek 38°01′34″N 91°12′40″W / 38.0261°N 91.2111°W |
| Length | 38.6 miles (62.1 km) |
Courtois Creek (/[invalid input: 'icon'][invalid input: 'local']ˈkoʊtəweɪ/) is a 38.6-mile-long (62.1 km)[1] stream in southern Missouri, U.S.A. It shares its name with the nearby town of Courtois. According to the information in the Ramsay Place Names File at the University of Missouri, the creek was "doubtless named for some French settler, but his identity has not been ascertained".[2]
The stream arises in the Mark Twain National Forest in northern Iron County and flows through the Missouri Ozarks, roughly paralleling the course of Huzzah Creek to its west. It flows into Huzzah Creek just before the latter's confluence with the Meramec River[2] near the Crawford County Highway E bridge.
The creek is popular year-round for canoeing, kayaking, and rafting. It is surrounded by dense stands of trees and native vegetation, has abundant fish, turtles and waterfowl, and is the best-protected stream in the area against erosion.[3] The St. Louis Riverfront Times cited the creek as the best local float trip in 2007.[4]
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 13, 2011
- ^ a b "Iron County Place Names, 1928–1945". Western Historical Manuscript Collection—Columbia. University of Missouri / State Historical Society of Missouri. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ "Meramec River Watershed: Habitat Conditions". Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved 2007-01-10. [dead link]
- ^ "RFT Best Of: Best Float Trip". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2007-01-10.