DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is located just West of Missouri Valley, Iowa. Named after the explorer, the park is now a home for a variety of wildlife, and is a primary stopping point for the great central migratory path. The 7 miles of water in the refuge remains from an earlier route of the Missouri River prior to efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers to make the river more navigable. On any late Autumn day, these now still waters can be filled with hundreds of thousands of migrating fowl. We visited prior to those flocks, and found tranquil waters filled with numerous cranes, pelicans, eagles and other birds.
During the Summer of 2011, this area was completely submerged by the flooding Missouri River. The park lost many grand old trees during that Summer including this old beauty, while the survivors still display watermarks five feet up their trunk.