Class I Saint Joseph River - Fort Wayne, IN/OH

One of two St. Joseph Rivers in Indiana, this gentle river flows to Fort Wayne from Ohio. Flowing so slowly it seems still in places, the "St. Joseph of the Maumee" flows through Fort Wayne's developed suburbs and finally into the heart of the urban area. The river owes its existence to the glaciers which scoured the region and then spread acres of sand, gravel and boulders over the ground surface. The resulting lakes, ponds and marshes fed their waters to the St. Joseph River which emerged as a wide, slow-flowing stream. The character of the river corridor alternates between hardwood forest and fertile farmland. Flooding is a rare occurrence because the flow is controlled by the many natural lakes at the headwaters. (Indiana DNR Canoeing Guide)