Clear Creek (Illinois)

Last updated

Clear Creek is a southern Illinois watercourse that rises in Jackson County and Union County, and discharges into the Mississippi River in Alexander County. [1]

Upper and lower halves

Clear Creek is neatly divided by the bluffs of the Mississippi into two sections: nearer its headwaters it is a relatively clean and swift-flowing hill river, and in its lower half, below the bluff, it has become a channelized ditch, the Clear Creek Ditch (coordinates: 37°23′30″N89°21′11″W / 37.391716°N 89.353143°W / 37.391716; -89.353143 ). [2] Clear Creek rises in the uplands of the Shawnee Hills near Cobden, Illinois. In its upper reaches, Clear Creek is an unusually clean and undisturbed stream for Illinois, as its watershed includes two of the largest wilderness areas in Illinois, Bald Knob Wilderness and Clear Springs Wilderness. Another section of the creek's watershed is protected by the Trail of Tears State Forest, and most of the remainder of the watershed is protected by the non-wilderness parcels of Shawnee National Forest. [3]

West of Jonesboro, Illinois, Clear Creek descends from the Shawnee Hills into the bottomland of the Mississippi River. In historical times, the stream fed a ribbon-shaped wetland that ran southward and parallel to the Mississippi River for approximately 15 miles (24 km) before discharging into a former watercourse of the main river, the Picayune Chute, east of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Part of this wetland has been conserved as the Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area, but during the 20th century most of it was extensively ditched and drained for mosquito abatement and to promote agriculture. Engineers dug a ditch that carries Clear Creek's drainage southward a further eight miles (13 km) and takes in further runoff from adjacent Shawnee Hills creeks. The creek/ditch currently discharges into the Mississippi close to Thebes, Illinois. [3]

Related Research Articles

Wolf River (Tennessee) Water course in Mississippi and Tennessee, United States

Wolf River is a 105-mile-long (169 km) alluvial river in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, whose confluence with the Mississippi River was the site of various Chickasaw, French, Spanish and American communities that eventually became Memphis, Tennessee. It is estimated to be about 12,000 years old, formed by Midwestern glacier runoff carving into the region's soft alluvial soil. It should not be confused with The Wolf River which flows primarily in Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. The Wolf River rises in the Holly Springs National Forest at Baker's Pond in Benton County, Mississippi, and flows northwest into Tennessee, before entering the Mississippi River north of downtown Memphis.

Kaskaskia River

The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 325 miles (523 km) long, in central and southern Illinois in the United States. The second largest river system within Illinois, it drains a rural area of farms, as well as rolling hills along river bottoms of hardwood forests in its lower reaches. The lower reaches of the river have been canalized to allow barge traffic.

Shawnee Hills

The Shawnee Hills is a region of southern Illinois that rests mainly in an east-west arc roughly following the outline of the southern end of the Illinois Basin. Whereas Mississippian and Pennsylvania Age rock layers are deep beneath the soil surface in central Illinois, these strata pierce the surface in southern Illinois. The Shawnee Hills are surface expressions of the more weather-resistant limestone and sandstone layers. This formation is due in part to the last glaciation of the Ice Age not reaching this far south.

Shawnee National Forest

The Shawnee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, United States. Administered by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, it consists of approximately 280,000 acres (1,100 km²) of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac counties. Forest headquarters are located in Harrisburg, Illinois. There are local ranger district offices in Jonesboro and Vienna. The Shawnee National Forest is also the single largest publicly owned body of land in the state of Illinois. It is considered part of Southern Illinois, and is south of the St. Louis, Missouri and Metro-East areas, in Area code 618. Portions of it are in the far south area of Illinois known as Little Egypt. Cities in or near the area are Carbondale, Illinois, Marion, Illinois, and Cairo, Illinois.

Big Muddy River

The Big Muddy River is a 156-mile-long (251 km) river in southern Illinois. It joins the Mississippi River just south of Grand Tower. The Big Muddy has been dammed near Benton, forming Rend Lake.

Mountain Fork

Mountain Fork, also known as the Mountain Fork of the Little River, is a 98-mile-long (158 km) tributary of the Little River in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Via the Little and Red rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Saline River (Illinois)

The Saline River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 27 miles (43 km) long, in the Southern Illinois region of the U.S. state of Illinois. The river drains a large section of southeast Illinois, with a drainage basin of 1,762 square miles (4,564 km2). The major tributaries include the South Fork, Middle Fork and North Fork, all lying within the Saline Valley. The once meandering swampy river was important among Native Americans and early settlers as a source of salt from numerous salt springs where it was commercially extracted in the early 19th century.

Lusk Creek is a creek located in southeastern Illinois. It is a tributary of the Ohio River, which it joins at Golconda.

Macoupin Creek is a 99.7-mile-long (160.5 km) tributary of the Illinois River, which it joins near the village of Hardin, Illinois.

Killbuck Creek

Killbuck Creek is a tributary of the Walhonding River, 81.7 mi (131.5 km) long, in north-central Ohio in the United States. Via the Walhonding, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. It drains an area of 613 mi² (1588 km²).

Loramie Creek is a 40.0-mile-long (64.4 km) tributary of the Great Miami River in western Ohio in the United States. Via the Great Miami and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 265 square miles (690 km2). According to the Geographic Names Information System, the stream has also been known historically as "Laramie Creek," "Loramie Ditch," "Loramies Creek," and "Lonamie Creek." It is named after Louis Lorimier, a French-Canadian fur trader who had a trading post in the area in the 18th century.

Wakatomika Creek

Wakatomika Creek is a tributary of the Muskingum River, 42.6 mi (68.6 km) long, in central Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 234 mi² (606 km²)

Monday Creek

Monday Creek is a tributary of the Hocking River, 27 miles (43.5 km) long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Hocking and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 116 square miles (300 km²) on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. Monday Creek has been badly affected by acid mine drainage.

Mark West Creek

Mark West Creek is a 29.9-mile-long (48.1 km) stream that rises in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma County, California, United States. Tributaries of Mark West Creek include Porter Creek and Hummingbird Creek, both of which originate in the same mountain range. Discharge waters of Mark West Creek reach the Russian River after a confluence with the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The Community Clean Water Institute has developed a program for monitoring pollutants in Mark West Creek.

The Bald Knob Wilderness is a 5,973-acre (24.2 km²) parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is, by acreage, the second largest wilderness area located within the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in northwestern Union County, Illinois.

Clear Springs Wilderness

The Clear Springs Wilderness is a 4,730-acre (19.1 km²) parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It contains the LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Area, a National Natural Landmark noted for a large and diverse population of snakes.

The Bay Creek Wilderness is a 2,866-acre (11.60 km2) parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Pope County, Illinois. The nearest town of any size is Eddyville.

Lusk Creek Wilderness

The Lusk Creek Wilderness is a 6,293-acre (25.47 km2) parcel of land listed as a Wilderness Area of the United States. It is located within the Shawnee National Forest in Pope County, Illinois. The nearest town of any size is Eddyville, Illinois. It includes the Lusk Creek Canyon National Natural Landmark.

Rock Creek is a freestone stream in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is a tributary of Clear Creek, within the Powder River watershed. Its source is located in the Rock Creek Roadless Area. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Rock Creek drains approx. 60 miles (97 km) before discharging into Clear Creek, just east of the city of Buffalo and Interstate 90.

Llagas Creek

Llagas Creek is a perennial stream in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The headwaters rise on the eastern side of Crystal Peak near Loma Prieta. From there, the creek flows northeast along Casa Loma Road, until it reaches Uvas Road, and then turns south. At Oak Glen Avenue, the creek turns southeast, passing through Chesbro Reservoir, and the cities of Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy. The creek continues its southward flow, eventually joining with the Pajaro River at the San Benito County line.

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Clear Creek
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Clear Creek Ditch
  3. 1 2 Illinois Atlas and Gazetteer. Freeport, Maine: DeLorme Mapping. 1991. ISBN   0-89933-213-7.

Coordinates: 37°16′37″N89°25′18″W / 37.2769948°N 89.4217546°W / 37.2769948; -89.4217546