| Black River | |
| Map: | Mo rivers2.png |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | States |
| Subdivision Name2: | Arkansas, Missouri |
| Source1 Location: | Confluence of the East Fork and Middle Fork near Lesterville, Missouri |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 37.4411°N -90.8336°W |
| Mouth Location: | Confluence with the White River northwest of Newport, Arkansas |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 35.64°N -91.3217°W |
| Discharge1 Location: | Elgin Ferry, Arkansas |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 10,367 cu/ft. per sec.[1] |
| Progression: | Black River → White → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| Source1 Elevation: | 640feet |
| Mouth Elevation: | 203feet |
| Length: | 300miles |
| Custom Label: | GNIS ID |
The Black River is a tributary of the White River, about 300miles long,[2] in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States.[3] Via the White River, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. Black River Technical College is named for the river.
The river was so named on account of the black tint of its water.[4]
The Black River rises in Missouri as three streams:
The headwaters forks converge near Lesterville, and the Black River flows generally southwardly through Reynolds, Wayne and Butler Counties in Missouri; and Clay, Randolph and Lawrence Counties in Arkansas. In its lowermost course the river is used to define the boundary between Independence and Jackson Counties. It flows past the towns of Mill Spring, Williamsville and Poplar Bluff in Missouri; and Pocahontas, Black Rock, and Powhatan in Arkansas. It joins the White River at Jacksonport, Arkansas.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam in Wayne County, Missouri, causes the river to form Clearwater Lake.
In Arkansas, the Black River is joined by the Little Black River, the Current River, the Spring River and the Strawberry River. Mayberry Branch and Eads Creek are tributaries in Missouri.