St Francis

River flowing through southeastern Missouri and eastern Arkansas, USA; length 684 km/425 mi. It rises in the St François Mountains, Missouri, forms the Missouri-Arkansas boundary for about 80 km/50 mi, and joins the Mississippi River north of Helena, Arkansas.

Course From its source the St Croix flows generally southeast through parts of the Mark Twain National Forest and into Wappapello Lake, impounded by the Wappapello Dam. Continuing south into Arkansas, it flows east of Crowley's Ridge, winding past Marked Tree and Madison. For some 64 km/40 mi north and south of Madison, it flows in two roughly parallel channels. Near its mouth, at the southern end of Crowley's Ridge, is the St Francis National Forest.