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This is a response That Josh had over the Jones creek episode. This was on facebook about a week ago.
Missouri Dept. of Conservation This is a tricky subject, and I can tell you right up front there is no simple, satisfactory answer. River and streams in Missouri can be classified as:
-- Public navigable – larger rivers capable of floating commercial boats like barges
-- P...ublic non-navigable – middle-sized watercourses capable of floating smaller boats like canoes
-- Private non-navigable – smallest streams not capable of floating even smaller boats like canoes
A county prosecutor would be the best reference for determining how a particular stretch of a stream is classified in that county.
For private, non-navigable streams, the property boundaries of adjacent landowners are the center thread of the stream so there is no public property along the stream. No fishing, wading or boating is allowed without landowner permission.
For public non-navigable streams, the center thread is also where the adjacent property boundaries lie. Fishing, wading and boating are allowed but the banks are private property as is the stream bottom.
For public navigable streams/rivers, boundary lines of adjacent properties stop at the high-water mark of the river. So, in that case, the river channel is considered public property. I think you would be safe to pick up artifacts from in-channel gravel and sand bars on larger rivers but not from smaller streams without landowner permission. Most managed public land (state parks, conservation areas) have regulations prohibiting the removal of cultural artifacts, which would include arrowheads.