Grandglaize Creek

Grandglaize Creek is a creek and tributary to the Osage River that forms the Grand Glaize Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.

The creek as recognized by the Geographic Names Information System is spelled as one word. However it is widely spelled as two words Grand Glaize. It should not be confused with the Grand Glaize Creek which is a tributary to the Meramec River in St. Louis County, Missouri.

It is referred on DeLorme maps as Grand Auglaize Creek.

The creek is formed by the confluence of Dry Auglaize Creek and Wet Glaize Creek near Brumley, Missouri near Toronto, Missouri in Camden County, Missouri. From there it flows north through Miller County, Missouri,

According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources the lowest flow that could be expected in a 10 day period is 16 cubic feet a second [http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/watersheds/info/10290109.pdf] The creek becomes part of the Lake of the Ozarks at the extreme southeast corner of Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

Bridge

:"Main article: Grand Glaize Bridge"

When Bagnell Dam was built to impounded the Osage River, it also impounded the creek which had previously flowed into the river. The Grand Glaize Bridge carried U.S. Highway 54 over what is now the Grand Glaize arm of the lake. The bridge was known as the "Upside-Down Bridge" because the supporting structure was built below the deck to allow for an unobstructed view of the lake. The bridge was infamous for having very narrow lanes, no shoulders, and steel railings (which one could still see the lake through) as barriers. The bridge was replaced in the 1980s, when a wider bridge was constructed next to it. The new bridge carried Highway 54 and the old bridge was restricted to bicycles and pedestrians. In the 1990s, the original bridge was demolished and replaced with a new bridge to carry two lanes of westbound Highway 54. The 1980s bridge was changed to carry two lanes of eastbound Highway 54.

Origin of the Name

Besides the Lake of the Ozarks creek and the creek near St. Louis there is also an Auglaize River in Michigan/Ohio. Grand Glaize on the Auglaize River near Fort Defiance, Ohio is thought to be the birthplace of Chief Pontiac.

According to List of Ohio county name etymologies the etymology could be French for "eau glaise" meaning "dirty water" (although the reference is to clay). The Ohio site also mention that it could be a Native American term for "fallen timbers" or "overgrown with brush", or "at the "lick."

Lakehistory.info suggests it could have been the French term la glace, which means "mirror," or "ice." [ [http://www.lakehistory.info/french.html The Trouble with French ] ]

References