Wood River (Illinois)

Wood River
Main source Confluence of the West and East Forks 2.4 miles above the mouth
38°53′26″N 90°06′54″W / 38.8906033°N 90.1151075°W / 38.8906033; -90.1151075 (Wood River origin)
River mouth Confluence with the Mississippi River near East Alton
38°51′36″N 90°07′44″W / 38.8600482°N 90.1289968°W / 38.8600482; -90.1289968 (Wood River mouth)
Mouth elevation 404 ft (123 m)
Length 2.4 mi (3.9 km)
GNIS ID 421411
East Fork Wood River
Main source Macoupin County north of Bunker Hill
39°04′48″N 89°57′04″W / 39.0800462°N 89.9512135°W / 39.0800462; -89.9512135 (East Fork Wood River origin)
River mouth Confluence with the West Fork forming Wood River
38°53′27″N 90°06′54″W / 38.890881°N 90.1151075°W / 38.890881; -90.1151075 (East Fork Wood River mouth)
Mouth elevation 420 ft (130 m)
GNIS ID 407649
West Fork Wood River
Main source Macoupin County east of Brighton
39°02′54″N 90°06′58″W / 39.0483798°N 90.1162192°W / 39.0483798; -90.1162192 (West Fork Wood River origin)
River mouth Confluence with the East Fork forming the Wood River
38°53′26″N 90°06′53″W / 38.8906033°N 90.1148297°W / 38.8906033; -90.1148297 (West Fork Wood River mouth)
Mouth elevation 420 ft (130 m)
Length 16.4 mi (26.4 km)
GNIS ID 420841

Wood River is a 2.4-mile-long (3.9 km)[1] tributary of the Mississippi River, which it joins near East Alton, Illinois, to the northeast of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Wood River is formed by the confluence of its West and East forks. These come together near where they drop down from the Mississippi bluffs. The natural channel of the Wood River used to follow the Mississippi through the bottoms before joining it. This has been cut off by an artificial channel that runs through flood control structures directly to the Mississippi.

The West Fork of the Wood River is 16.4 miles (26.4 km) long, and the East Fork is 21.9 miles (35.2 km) long.[1] Honeycut Branch is a major tributary of the West Fork, and Girder Branch is a major tributary of the East Fork.

The mouth of the Wood River was a highly industrialized area during much of the 20th century. The Olin Chemical plant produced explosives and munitions for the wars of the last century. This remains as the Winchester ammunition plant. The Wood River petroleum refinery continues to operate on a reduced scale.

Cities, towns and counties

The following cities, towns and villages are in the Wood River watershed:

The following Illinois counties are drained in part by the Wood River:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed May 13, 2011

External links

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