Chariton River

Coordinates: 39°18′47″N 92°57′29″W / 39.313°N 92.958°W / 39.313; -92.958

Chariton River
River
Major Missouri rivers
Country	US
States	Iowa, Missouri
Source
- coordinates	40°53′42″N 93°46′12″W / 40.895°N 93.770°W / 40.895; -93.770
Mouth
- coordinates	39°18′47″N 92°57′29″W / 39.313°N 92.958°W / 39.313; -92.958
Length	218 km (135 mi)

The Chariton River is a 218-mile-long (351 km)^[1] tributary to the Missouri River in southeast Iowa and northeast Missouri.

It has been called Missouri's "Grand Divide" because streams west of the Chariton flow into the Missouri and streams east of it flow into the Mississippi River.^[2]

The river is believed to have been named for Joseph Chorette, who accompanied the French Jean Baptiste Trudeau expedition up the Missouri in 1795 and drowned while swimming in it. Variations of the name are Choret, Care and Carrette.^[3]

The river forms in southeastern Clarke County, Iowa. It is dammed at 11,000-acre (45 km²) Rathbun Reservoir in Appanoose County, Iowa and then flows 30 miles (48 km) before entering Missouri where it forms the boundary between Putnam and Schuyler counties. It enters the Missouri at Chariton County below Keytesville.

112 miles (180 km) are in Missouri and 106 miles (171 km) are in Iowa.^[1]

Below the Highway 136 bridge at Livonia, Missouri, the river has been channelized and dredged. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, "public use of Chariton River watershed streams is very low, largely because instream habitat has been so adversely affected by channelization and sedimentation".^[4]

Major tributaries are Mussel Fork Creek and Shoal Creek. Because of extensive channeling the Little Chariton River, formerly a tributary, now flows directly into the Missouri about 7 miles (11 km) from the main branch.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 26, 2011
2. ^ Chariton River Watershed - Missouri Department of Conservation
3. ^ Missouri Secretary of State Origin of County Names
4. ^ Chariton River Watershed: Opportunities for Stream Fishery Conservation