Bourbeuse River  The Bourbeuse River (French for 'muddy') is a river located in east-central Missouri, in the Ozarks region, and is one of two major tributaries of the Meramec River, the other being the Big River. The Bourbeuse flows to the northeast from its source () near the locale of Dillon just northeast of Rolla in Phelps County, through Maries, Gasconade, Crawford, and Franklin counties, where it discharges into the Meramec River near Moselle (). The elevation of the river at its source is approximately  above sea level and at its mouth about . The total length of the river is , while the airline distance between source and mouth is . The watershed area is . Tributaries of the Bourbeuse River include Spring Creek, Boone Creek, Brush Creek, Red Oak Creek, Dry Fork, and Little Bourbeuse River. The river's lower has permanent flow, but unlike many other Ozark streams of its size, it has a low base flow, due to a paucity of springs feeding it. The river is low-gradient and tends to be more muddy than other Ozark streams. Usually only the lower are navigable in summer. The river is highly crooked: one section, near Noser Mill, has of river between points less than a half mile apart. of the river are in Franklin County, and only 27 airline miles. Like many other Ozark streams, the Bourbeuse River has entrenched meanders. Numerous fords are named on this river, compared to other rivers in the state. The gravel riverbeds, low average river flow, and lack of sufficient bridges both allow and require the use of natural river crossings. The USGS stream gauge in Union, near the mouth of the river, measures an average flow of per second.