Paint Creek (Iowa)

Paint Creek is a direct tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, rising in central Allamakee County, Iowa, in and about the city of Waukon.

By the time the creek reaches Waterville, it flows through a canyon between almost-vertical cliffs some 150 feet high.

By the time the creek reaches the Mississippi River, it has cut a full 350 feet into the rock.

Less than optimal farming practices have created erosion problems, leading to excess sediment being transported downstream into the River, and the Army Corps of Engineers is developing plans to combat this.

Once an important navigational landmark for Mississippi River traffic, it was named for the Indian paintings and petroglyphs on it.