Maramec Spring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maramec Spring |
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The spring discharges below an overhanging bluff of Gasconade Dolomite.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| Region | Ozark Plateau |
| County | Phelps |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Dry Fork watershed Salem Plateau, Ozark Plateau, Missouri 773.97 ft (235.91 m)USGS |
| River mouth | Meramec River near St. James, Phelps County, Ozark Plateau, Missouri 37°57′20″N 91°31′57″W / 37.95556°N 91.53250°W |
| Length | 0.87 mi (1.40 km) |
| Basin features | |
| U.S. NNL | Designated: 1971 |
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Maramec Iron Works District
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The remains of an iron furnace of the Maramec Iron Works which used hydropower from the spring
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| Nearest city | St. James, Missouri |
| Area | 0 acres (0 ha) |
| Built | 1826 |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000122 |
| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1969 |
Maramec Spring is located on the Meramec River near St. James in the east-central Ozarks of Missouri. The fifth largest spring in the state with an average discharge of 153 cubic feet (4.3 m3) of water per second, it is part of a Karst topographical area, with many springs and caves. The spring and 1800 acres (7.28 km²) are owned by the James Foundation, which maintains the area as a public park, donated by Lucy Wortham James. The Missouri Department of Conservation operates a trout hatchery and fishery at the spring. Ruins of the Maramec Iron Works are still visible at the site; its machinery was partly powered by the spring's waterflow. The spring was declared a National Natural Landmark in October 1971.
Description
The spring has an average daily discharge of about 100 million gallons (363 million liters)USGS. The natural history of the spring and the history of the iron works are highlighted in a museum operated by the James Foundation at the site. Another museum in the park features agricultural tools utilized in the area over the years.
The park also offers a scenic drive that offers a glimpse into the life in the area while the iron works were operating. The drive takes the viewer to a scenic overview of the park, an old cemetery populated with employees of the works, the iron pit mine, and locations of a few homesteads. The park is also covered with ample picnic areas, including pavilions that are suitable for events.
Adjacent to the spring are the ruins of the Maramec Iron Works. The first commercially viable iron works in the US west of the Mississippi, they produced iron from 1827 to 1891. During the US Civil War, it produced iron for cannonballs and James B. Eads' gunships, which were built in St. Louis near the mouth of the river. The iron works used the flow of water from the spring to power its machinery to process high-grade iron ore quarried in the form of hematite from a nearby pit. The Maramec Iron Works District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
In October every year, the James Foundation hosts Old Iron Works Days, usually the second or third weekend of the month. This event features arts, crafts, foods, displays and presentations that provide a view of life in the area during the operation of the iron works.
Recreational activities
The park is one of four trout parks in Missouri and allows fishing most of the year. Harvesting season starts March 1 each year and runs until the beginning of October, while the catch and release season runs during the winter months. The stream is restocked every day during fishing season from the 100,000 trout produced by the hatchery each year.
There are 58 campsites in the park, ten of which have electric hook-ups. The park has numerous picnic sites, six reserveable picnic shelters, and multiple playgrounds.
