| Huzzah Creek | |
|---|---|
 Dillard Mill on the Huzzah | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | West Fork |
| • coordinates | 37°34′54″N91°14′38″W / 37.5817°N 91.2440°W /37.5817; -91.2440 (West Fork Huzzah Creek (source)) |
| 2nd source | East Fork |
| • coordinates | 37°34′26″N91°10′26″W / 37.5740°N 91.1740°W /37.5740; -91.1740 (East Fork Huzzah Creek (source)) |
| Mouth | Meramec River |
• location | About a mile upstream ofOnondaga Cave State Park |
• coordinates | 38°01′52″N91°13′39″W / 38.0312°N 91.2274°W /38.0312; -91.2274 (Huzzah Creek (mouth)) |
| Length | 35.8 mi (57.6 km) |
| Basin size | 266 mi2 (690 km2)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 310 cu ft/s (8.8 m3/s)[1] |
Huzzah Creek (locally/ˈhuːzɑː/) is a 35.8-mile-long (57.6 km)[3] clear-flowing stream in the southern part of theU.S. state ofMissouri.[4] According to the information in the Ramsay Place Names File at the University of Missouri, the creek's name "is evidently derived from"Huzzaus, one of the early French versions of the name of theOsage people.[5]
The Huzzah's headwaters are in theMark Twain National Forest in northernReynolds County. It flows northward through the MissouriOzarks, roughly paralleling the course ofCourtois Creek to its east, until it enters theMeramec River shortly after passing under theCrawford County Highway E bridge. Along its course it flows through theDillard Mill State Historic Site and, near its confluence with the Meramec, the 6,225-acre (2,519 ha)Huzzah Conservation Area.[2]
The creek is popular forcamping,canoeing,kayaking, andrafting. It is surrounded bylimestonebluffs and stands of native pine, oak, and hickory trees; and at normal water levels it has no sections of difficulty greater thangrades I and II.[2] The St. LouisRiverfront Times cited the creek as the "Best River for Float Trips" in 2011.[6]