Meramec River – Waterway to the Ozarks
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The Meramec River winds along the northern border of the Ozarks, draining 3,980 square miles in its 220 mile northeastern journey from its origin. It is one of the longest free-flowing streams in the state.
Long home and hunting ground to Illinois and Osage Indians in prehistory, the basin is blessed with springs, caves, and mineral resources, amongst them are lead, zinc, iron, glass sand, construction quality sandstone and gravel. Bedrock is most often dolomite and sandstone in and along the upper Meramec, and limestone and a different sandstone in the lower reaches.
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Hilltops typically have thin, woodland soil, whereas the valley soil, (often prone to flooding) is deep and good for farming.
The Meramec valley was originally a mix of oak- hickory forest, upland and river-valley woodland, savanna, with occasional breaks leading to tallgrass or extensive grassland, animal life was originally plentiful, hence its destination as a hunting ground. The Meramec is also home to a very diverse fish population, and is world famous for its variety of freshwater mussels. The river is incised, resulting in sometimes spectacular bluffs.