Sni-A-Bar Creek (/ˈsn.ə.bɑːr/) is a stream in Jackson and Lafayette counties in the U.S. state of Missouri.[1] It is a tributary of the Missouri River.

The stream headwaters arise in southwest Lafayette County at 38°55′53″N 94°05′53″W / 38.93139°N 94.09806°W / 38.93139; -94.09806 and the stream flows southwest into Jackson County. The stream turns north three miles north of Lone Jack. It continues to the north passing under Interstate 70 just east of Grain Valley. It then turns to the northeast and passes back into Lafayette County. It crosses under Missouri Route 131, U.S. Route 24, and Missouri Route 224 south and east of Wellington. It enters the Missouri River about one mile northeast of Wellington at 39°08′26″N 93°58′08″W / 39.14056°N 93.96889°W / 39.14056; -93.96889.[1][2]

Sni-A-Bar is possibly a corruption of chenail Hubert (French pronunciation: [ʃənaj ybɛʁ]), meaning "Hubert channel/slough" in French.[3] Alternatively, the name may have come from a French frontiersman named Abar who was charting a course on the Missouri River in the early 1800s.[4][5]

Alternate names include Big Sni-A-Bar Creek, Sni-A-Bar River, and Sniabar Creek.[1] Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the Pony Express, called the creek Big Snye Bear River in his book Seventy Years on the Frontier.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sni-A-Bar Creek
  2. ^ Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 1998, First edition, pp. 27-28 and 34 ISBN 0-89933-224-2
  3. ^ "Jackson County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Northeast News | Sni-A-Bar Gardens top destination spot - Northeast News". northeastnews.net. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  5. ^ Napier, Marcia (November 20, 2019). "Looking Back: The History And Mystery Behind The Name Sni-A-Bar". Grain Valley News. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Majors, Alexander. Seventy years on the frontier: Alexander Major's memoirs of a lifetime on the border. Chicago and New York, Rand, McNally & Company. 1893, pp 28-29