Des Moines River

Des Moines River
The Des Moines River upstream of Ottumwa, Iowa
The Des Moines River watershed
Location
Country	United States
State	Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri
Physical characteristics
Source	Lake Shetek
• location	Murray County, Minnesota
• coordinates	44°05′02″N 95°41′17″W / 44.0839°N 95.6881°W / 44.0839; -95.6881
• elevation	1,483 ft (452 m)
Mouth	Mississippi River
• location	Clark County, Missouri / Lee County, Iowa, near Keokuk, Iowa
• coordinates	40°22′52″N 91°25′21″W / 40.3812°N 91.4224°W / 40.3812; -91.4224
• elevation	597 ft (182 m)
Length	525 mi (845 km)
Basin size	14,802 sq mi (38,340 km2)
Discharge
• location	St. Francisville, MO
• average	13,223 cu/ft. per sec.[1]
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Des Moines River

The Des Moines River (/dəˈmɔɪn/ ^ⓘ) is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately 525 miles (845 km) long from its farther headwaters.^[2] The largest river flowing across the state of Iowa, it rises in southern Minnesota and flows across Iowa from northwest to southeast, passing from the glaciated plains into the unglaciated hills near the capital city of Des Moines, named after the river, in the center of the state. The river continues to flow in a southeastern direction away from Des Moines, later flowing directly into the Mississippi River.

The Des Moines River forms a short portion of Iowa's border with Missouri in Lee County. The Avenue of the Saints, a four-lane highway from St. Paul, Minnesota to St. Louis, Missouri, passes over this section; the highway is designated Route 27 in both Iowa and Missouri, and was completed in the early 21st century.