Mill Creek (Nodaway River tributary)

Mill Creek
Mill Creek on US Highway 136 bridge just west of Burlington Junction
Watershed map of Mill Creek
Location
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Nodaway
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of East Mill Creek and West Mill Creek
• location	Lincoln Township
• coordinates	40°34′06″N95°08′40″W / 40.56843°N 95.14447°W / 40.56843; -95.14447 [1]
• elevation	990 ft (300 m) [2]
Mouth	Nodaway River
• location	Nodaway Township
• coordinates	40°26′24″N95°05′36″W / 40.4399926°N 95.093309°W / 40.4399926; -95.093309 [1]
• elevation	906 ft (276 m) [1]
Length	12.3 mi (19.8 km) [2]
Basin size	87.5 sq mi (227 km2) [3]
Basin features
Progression	Mill Creek → Nodaway River → Missouri River → Mississippi River → Atlantic Ocean
Stream gradient 7.6 ft/mi (1.44 m/km) [2]

Mill Creek is a stream in northwestern Nodaway County, Missouri. ^[1] It is a tributary to the Nodaway River and is 12.3 miles long. ^[2] The city of Elmo is located along the stream about 6 miles before its mouth.

Etymology

Mill Creek was so named on account of a watermill near its course. ^[4] Both East Mill Creek ^[5] and West Mill Creek ^[6] have been denoted as Mill Creek.

History

Joseph Hutson was the first settler in Lincoln Township, and he settled along Mill Creek on October 29th, 1840. He set up mill irons, along what was then called Hutson's Creek, ^[4] in 1842. ^[7]

Geography

Mill Creek is a right tributary of the Nodaway River and joins it 46.6 miles before its mouth in the Missouri River. ^[3] It is the largest tributary of the Nodaway River in Missouri. About half of the Mill Creek watershed is in Page County, Iowa.

Course

Mill Creek begins at the confluence of the East Mill Creek and the West Mill Creek about 0.8 miles south of the Iowa/Missouri border. The stream flows about 3.5 miles south-southeast to where it passes to the west of Elmo. The stream continues southeasterly 6 miles before it enters the Nodaway River just south of US 136 one mile west of Burlington Junction.

Hydrology

There are two permitted wastewater treatment facilities that flow into Mill Creek: Elmo and College Springs. ^[2] About half of the Mill Creek watershed is in Page County, Iowa. The following lakes are in the Mill Creek watershed: Pruitt Lake, Hoover Frankum Reservoir (A-11), and Hoover Frankum Reservoir (B-20).

Tributaries

The stream has four direct and one indirect tributaries. The four direct tributaries join Mill Creek in Nodaway County and are: West Mill Creek, East Mill Creek, Jerry Creek, and Moss Branch. Middle Mill Creek is an indirect tributary via East Mill Creek and is located in Page County, Iowa. ^[2]

Crossings

There are two highways that cross Mill Creek: US 136 and Route C.

See also

• Tributaries of the Nodaway River
• List of rivers of Missouri

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mill Creek (Nodaway River tributary)
2. Horton, Rick (2022). Nodaway River Watershed and Inventory Assessment (PDF). Missouri Department of Conservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
3. "MO USGS HUC12 Watershed Boundaries". Missouri Spatial Data Information Service. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on April 15, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
4. "Nodaway County Place Names, 1928–1945". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
5. "Blanchard, IA - 1981". TopoView. USGS. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
6. "Coin, IA - 1940". TopoView. USGS. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
7. "Lincoln Township". Nodaway County, Missouri History. Retrieved April 22, 2025.