North Flowing Streams

[Danimal]

War Eagle runs north into Beaver Lake (only one I haven't seen mentioned).

 

[DADAKOTA]

Isn't gravity a beautiful thing?

[Greasy B]

 

That is a great explanation, Al. 

 

The MO then continues southeast across western ND and southward across SD, before becoming the SD/NE border as it flows eastward, then again turning south becoming the NE/IA border for a ways, and then the KS/MO border, and finally across MO from KC to St. Louis where it joins the Mississippi. Over 2,000 miles from its headwaters, the Missouri is the longest river in North America.

We can take the source of the Missouri River further:

At elevation 9,396 ft at the Continental Divide and at the border between Montana and Idaho in the headwaters of Hell Roaring Creek. The latter is a tributary of the Red Rock River, a tributary of the Beaverhead River, a tributary of the Jefferson River, a tributary of the Missouri River.

Fascinating subject. 

 

[ness]

 

Isn't gravity a beautiful thing?

It's either your best friend, or your worst enemy ?

[Quillback]

Little Sugar here in Bella Vista flows north.

[MOPanfisher]

I have had at least one person argue adamantly with me over the phone that rivers don't run north in Missouri.  Even going so far as to tell me our dam was on the wrong end of the lake??  Somewhere are Kearney Street (and stretching out to the south fork creek drainage) seems to be about the dividing line for north and south flowing choices.  there is an area out around the South Fork Creek near Strafford where the Pomme de Terre, the Sac and the James watersheds area all within a short distance of one another.  Unfortunately it also happens to be an area where some invasive Hydrilla was found a few years ago.

[Greasy B]

I have seen the illusion of rivers running up hill when driving along side them out west. I suspect it's due to the scale of the landscape and my brains inability to discern up from down but I never heard a good explanation.  

[moguy1973]

It's not Missouri, but a very good example of two large northerly flowing rivers are the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers that form Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.  It makes it especially strange when you have the southerly flowing Mississippi not far away.  Almost seems illogical.

 

Oh yeah, and no one mentioned the Big River...Not really an Ozark stream technically but it flows generally north.

[Guest]

Deleted.

[bfishn]

Some interesting related trivia... The White River, Buffalo River, Kings River, and War Eagle Creek all begin within a 3 mile radius of each other.
From there they flow west, north, and east, yet they all end up back together again. On the other side of the same high spot between Boston & Pettigrew, the Little Mulberry Creek, Mulberry River, Big Piney Creek, and the Illinois Bayou all begin within a few miles of each other and flow southerly to the Arkansas River.