THE TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROGRAPHY OF ILLINOIS XXIX 



below New Boston. Below the junction of its two headwater streams 

 the course of the ri\'er is remarkably straight and it has few tribu- 

 taries. This is due to the fact that its basin lies in a narrow and 

 shallow valley between two ridges having a general east-west direc- 

 tion, and so the river drains only this narrow strip. Pope creek, 

 which flows parallel w4th it on the south, lies in another such valley. 

 Edwards River rises at an altitude of 800 feet, falls 50 feet in its first 

 one and one half miles, and another 50 feet in the next 18 miles. 

 The mouth is about 520 feet above sea-level. The stream has a 

 length of 60 miles. 



POPE CREEK 



Pope creek rises in northern Knox county and flow^s westward, 

 emptying into the Mississippi almost opposite the mouth of Iowa 

 River. It rises at an altitude of 750 feet, but its mouth lies at 520 

 feet. Its length is about 36 miles. The bluffs bordering the river 

 are abrupt and often reach a height of 75 to 125 feet. 



HENDERSON RIVER 



Henderson River rises in the northwest corner of Knox county 

 and flows westward and southward, emptying into the Mississippi 

 at the center of the western border of Henderson county. It drains 

 much of northern Henderson, northern Warren, and part of Knox 

 county, and, although having a length of scarcely 50 miles, it fur- 

 nishes drainage through its numerous branches for an area of fully 

 500 square miles. It rises at an elevation of 800 feet, and descends 

 100 feet in its first 10 miles, but below^ this the fall is gradual, the 

 altitude at its mouth being 520 feet. 



BEAR CREEK 



Bear creek drains the southwestern part of Hancock county and 

 the northern part of Adams — a possible area of 600 square miles. 

 The main branch rises in southern Hancock county and flows south 

 and west, emptying into the Mississippi opposite Canton, Mo. The 

 source of this stream is at an elevation of 670 feet, while the mouth 

 has an altitude of 460 feet. 



BIG CREEK 



Big creek drains a large part of Pike count}^ and a little of north- 

 ern Calhoun. It rises in northern Pike county and flows southeast- 

 ward toward the Illinois River, following a sag between two Illi- 

 noisan drift ridges, and nearly reaching the Illinois opposite the vil- 



