As part of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s ongoing interest in improving water quality in the Deer Creek watershed, the St. Louis community was invited to help name unnamed tributaries in the watershed during the Deer Creek Tributaries Naming Project, our outreach project for 2010.

When we name our creeks we reclaim them. We give names to things that are important to us. Naming creeks transform them from invisible to visible giving them a greater sense of recognition in the community.

Fourteen creeks have been officially named as part of our Tributaries Naming Project and are now recognized in the national USGS database. In the process, every effort has been made to uncover and give first priority to historically used names. In addition, all creek names have been approved by local municipalities and endorsed by Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District.

See a list of the new names and photos from the unveiling below.

New Tributary Maps

Deer Creek Watershed with newly named tributaries. Source: East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
View larger map or download pdf [317KB].  View maps of streams by municipality.

New Tributary Names  

• Burroughs Creek
  Nominated by Paul Denk, John Maricle, and Joseph Kelly and approved by the City of Ladue
  Burroughs creek is named after John Burroughs, a nationally recognized naturalist and writer who contributed to the U. S. Conservation movement. This stream also originates on the campus of John Burroughs School and runs parallel to Burroughs Lane.

• Denny Creek
  Nominated by Ann Carter, Ray Potter, and Richards Bruno and approved by the Cities of Creve Coeur and Ladue
  This stream borders the old Denny Estate that was granted to Samuel Denny in 1819 by President Monroe. This stream also crosses the old Denny Road which is now referred to as Lindbergh Blvd. Additionally, the Denny Estate marked the primary trail to the west used by Native Americans.

• Deschamps Creek
  Nominated by Daniel Johnson and approved by the City of Creve Coeur
  Named in honor of A. A. Deschamps who was the first school master of Spoede Schoolhouse and who lived in what is now Spoede Woods Subdivison.

• Dielmann Creek
  Nominated by Ken Bush and Dr. Mabel Purkerson and approved by the City of Creve Coeur
  Named after Emil Dielmann, who along with his father, William C. Dielmann, owned land close to this stream until his death in 1974. Grandson Harold Dielmann is currently the Mayor of the City of Creve Coeur. The Dielmann family has been Deer Creek watershed landowners for over 100 years.

• Fordyce Fork
  Nominated by Michael Dwyer and approved by the City of Ladue
  This stream originates near Fordyce Lane which is next to a property formerly owned by Samuel Fordyce. Samuel W. Fordyce was nationally recognized for his service in the Civil War and his contributions to the building of railroads with the largest part of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway mileage being built under his management.

• Magnolia Creek
  Nominated by Charles Wallace and approved by the Cities of Frontenac and Ladue
  Huntleigh Downs Road, which crosses this stream, has a lot of magnolia trees.

• Pebble Creek
  Nominated by Mary Carpenter, Ken Bush, and Howard Bland and approved by the Cities of Creve Coeur and Ladue
  This stream has been historically referred to as Pebble Creek as documented in a drainage map from 1949 which is currently on display at the Ladue City Hall. This stream is also close to Pebble Creek Road.

• Rodes Creek
  Nominated by Charlie Hiemenz, Rick Holton, and Randy Woods and approved by the City of Ladue
  Named in honor of Boyle Rodes, the first mayor of the City of Ladue. This stream runs through Rodes Park which was created when Mr. Rodes bought a piece of property next to his house to conserve it instead of allowing a gas station to be built on it.

• Rosenfelder Creek
  Nominated by Paul Brown and approved by the City of Creve Coeur
  Named in honor of Agnes Rosenfelder whose family owned land close to this stream in the 19th century until they lost the land during the Great Depression. Agnes lived in the City of Creve Coeur until the age of 100.

• Warson Woods Creek
  Nominated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District and approved by the Cities of Warson Woods and Rock Hill
  This stream originates in the city of Warson Woods and runs alongside Warson Woods Drive for half a mile. This creek has been noted as Warson Woods Creek on FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) maps.

• Fernridge Creek
  Nominated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District and approved by the City of Creve Coeur.
  This creek has been noted as Fernridge Creek on FEMA maps.

• Windrush Creek
  Nominated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District and approved by the City of Creve Coeur.
  This creek has been noted as Windrush Creek on FEMA maps.

• Monsanto-Sunswept Creek
  Nominated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District and approved by the City of Creve Coeur.
  This creek has been noted as Monsanto-Sunswept Creek on FEMA maps.

• Wildflower Creek
  Nominated by Margot Martin and approved by the Cities of Frontenac and Ladue.
  There are numerous wildflowers growing along this stream.

These creek names were unveiled at the Deer Creek Friends Spring Meeting on Thursday, May 12, 2011. Plaques were presented to creek-naming nominees who were present or to city representatives by Deer Creek Friends representative Randy Woods and DCWA Project Director Deborah Frank. View pictures of the award ceremony below.