[5] The St. Francis River rises in Alberta Township in northeastern Benton County, and flows generally southwardly through eastern Benton County, passing to the east of Foley and collecting a minor tributary known as the West Branch St. Francis River.

[8] Humans have lived in the St. Francis River valley for over 10,000 years; Native American village sites in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge date back to 1300 A.D. More recently the area was settled in the 1870s under the Homestead Act.

The surrounding upland was primarily oak savanna which provided habitat for elk, bison, and gray wolves.

In the early 1940s lakes and streams in the basin were invaded by carp, the feeding activities of which resulted in the uprooting of submerged vegetation important to aquatic wildlife.

In addition, the native oak savanna upland habitat was converted to agriculture or home sites through logging and plowing.