Name This Spot

[hank franklin]

Happy 4th of July everbody!

[Al Agnew]

Hank, why are you putting it in the Bourbeuse forum? A little misdirection?

That confluence has changed drastically in the last 30 years. Used to be about a quarter mile downstream, with a huge gravel bar at the confluence. It's changed some just since last fall. Your photo will probably be unrecognizable in a few more years.

[hank franklin]

Al, my bad, meant to put it in general forum. My first time at this spot was probably 1995, I recall a little stretch of gravel but mainly just a wooded peninsula. When was the big gravel bar there? We swam out to the peninsula yesterday, just hard clay now. Hard to say how long before the river claims it. I wouldn't think very long.

The clarity of the creek vs. the river was like night and day. Not sure why the river was so stained, didn't expect that.

[cwc87]

Al, my bad, meant to put it in general forum. My first time at this spot was probably 1995, I recall a little stretch of gravel but mainly just a wooded peninsula. When was the big gravel bar there? We swam out to the peninsula yesterday, just hard clay now. Hard to say how long before the river claims it. I wouldn't think very long.

The clarity of the creek vs. the river was like night and day. Not sure why the river was so stained, didn't expect that.

The off color in the Meramec is probably from jet boat traffic upstream from the confluence with the Huzzah. That is one heck of a spot that continues to change every flood. Nice picture of the name that spot though.

[Al Agnew]

I don't remember exactly when the creek changed its course. If you are coming down the creek, just shortly above the confluence it now swings against a long clay bank curving to the right with a huge gravel bar on the inside of the curve. If you would go to the back of that gravel bar and then into the young forest, you'd come to an old channel back in the trees, a good 200 yards from the present channel. That old channel cuts across the loop that the creek makes now. It was the former creek channel, which at that point was heading almost straight toward the river. Now, where that old channel hits the creek on the downstream side, the creek turns to the left and runs fairly straight into the river. But it used to turn to the right about 100 yards from the river and loop away from the river, running up against a low hill, where it turned left again against the hill and finally headed straight into the river. Not only has the creek eaten out that big loop above where it now runs into the river, but it's also eaten into the inside of the V where they run together. Before, where the gravel bar is where you took the picture from, that was a hundred yards of thick bottomland forest going back to the creek before it swung away from the river. As you go down the river from the confluence, if you watch on river right, almost a quarter mile below the present confluence you will see the old creek channel coming in. It is narrow now but still holds water.

By cutting through that narrow neck where the creek once got close and then swung back away from the river, the creek shortened its course by about three tenths of a mile. But just upstream where it's eaten out the big loop against the high clay bank, it probably added two tenths of a mile to its course.

The gravel bar at the former confluence was on the downstream side of the creek, just above the deep pool on the river with the high clay bank on the right. The river now runs right through where the gravel bar was, and has eaten a lot of clay bank just below. There used to be a small bottom field atop that clay bank with a primitive campground that was part of the wildlife management area.

Treehouse Brown owned the land around the confluence, and at times he was a little zealous about running unauthorized people off "his" gravel bar. He was quite a character. I spent about half a memorable night in his campground, drinking beer with him and listening to his stories. The reason I was there was that a buddy and I were planning on floating the entire length of the creek starting the next day, and we'd pulled into the management area campground across the bridge from Treehouse's place that afternoon. But a big thunderstorm was coming, and Treehouse came and told us we'd better get out of that campground before the little creek running through it flooded and locked us in for the night. He said he had room in his campground. So we did. And he was right...we couldn't have gotten out of the other campground for about two or three hours that night. Treehouse did our very long shuttle for us the next morning. It was the only time I met him, but I wish I'd been able to listen to more of his stories.

[Al Agnew]

I don't remember exactly when the creek changed its course. If you are coming down the creek, just shortly above the confluence it now swings against a long clay bank curving to the right with a huge gravel bar on the inside of the curve. If you would go to the back of that gravel bar and then into the young forest, you'd come to an old channel back in the trees, a good 200 yards from the present channel. That old channel cuts across the loop that the creek makes now. It was the former creek channel, which at that point was heading almost straight toward the river. Now, where that old channel hits the creek on the downstream side, the creek turns to the left and runs fairly straight into the river. But it used to turn to the right about 100 yards from the river and loop away from the river, running up against a low hill, where it turned left again against the hill and finally headed straight into the river. Not only has the creek eaten out that big loop above where it now runs into the river, but it's also eaten into the inside of the V where they run together. Before, where the gravel bar is where you took the picture from, that was a hundred yards of thick bottomland forest going back to the creek before it swung away from the river. As you go down the river from the confluence, if you watch on river right, almost a quarter mile below the present confluence you will see the old creek channel coming in. It is narrow now but still holds water.

By cutting through that narrow neck where the creek once got close and then swung back away from the river, the creek shortened its course by about three tenths of a mile. But just upstream where it's eaten out the big loop against the high clay bank, it probably added two tenths of a mile to its course.

The gravel bar at the former confluence was on the downstream side of the creek, just above the deep pool on the river with the high clay bank on the right. The river now runs right through where the gravel bar was, and has eaten a lot of clay bank just below. There used to be a small bottom field atop that clay bank with a primitive campground that was part of the wildlife management area.

Treehouse Brown owned the land around the confluence, and at times he was a little zealous about running unauthorized people off "his" gravel bar. He was quite a character. I spent about half a memorable night in his campground, drinking beer with him and listening to his stories. The reason I was there was that a buddy and I were planning on floating the entire length of the creek starting the next day, and we'd pulled into the management area campground across the bridge from Treehouse's place that afternoon. But a big thunderstorm was coming, and Treehouse came and told us we'd better get out of that campground before the little creek running through it flooded and locked us in for the night. He said he had room in his campground. So we did. And he was right...we couldn't have gotten out of the other campground for about two or three hours that night. Treehouse did our very long shuttle for us the next morning. It was the only time I met him, but I wish I'd been able to listen to more of his stories.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Cool pickcher. I was gonna say Huz and Meremac because the clear water didn't look like nowheres on the Bourb. I know that spot fairly well. Treehouse's place is right above it. Could've also been MF and B confluence, as I have seen it peninsula out like that.

[hank franklin]

Thanks Al for that great explanation. I figured that old channel downstream of the present confluence was a remnant of an old channel divide, and not actually the former main channel. I'd nevrer really noticed how the present channel looped so far out to the left of the previous one, it's apparent from the aerials.

[Guest]

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[Gavin]

Havent been down that way in the summer for a couple of years. My Dad used to use Brown's allot...and he had allot of stories about Ralph Brown. I only met him a half dozen times...times but he was a memorable character. Tom Shipley of Brewer & Shipley did a documentary on Ralph Brown years ago...havent been able to track it down though.

Andy, I'd probably float Cedar or Hwy 8 to Scotts Ford if you want a mix of trout & smallmouth...or Onandaga to Blue Spring for bass, and tall bluffs...Monday-Thurday timeframe would be best.