Des Moines River

While paddling through Boone County, one can experience and imagine past and present movements of people, wildlife, and goods and materials. The rich history includes Native Americans paddling dugout canoes and fording shallow areas on horseback en-route to and from summer hunting grounds. Bridges still cross the river, beckoning to a past era when railroads dominated transportation. Fish and wildlife are part of the moving waters, and birds follow centuries-old river corridor migration routes. The Des Moines is a meandered stream. That means that private property begins at the high-wat