Local River History
Montana's Front Range, where the east slope of the Rocky Mountains meets the Great Plains spawns several major rivers, including America's longest river...the Missouri River. At 2,540 miles, it beats the Mississippi River's length by 200 miles and is the 4th longest river in the world after the Nile, Amazon, and Yangtze. The Missouri is also one of the few major rivers in America that flows in a northernly direction for a significant distance. In fact, the river flows north, south, east, and at one point near Helena, Montana, even in a westerly direction.
Montana's great rivers such as the Missouri, Yellowstone, Milk, Bighorn, Powder, Musselshell, Tongue, and Marias Rivers once watered vast herds of millions of bison, as well as the native tribes of the Great Plains. Sadly, these herds all but disappeared by the 1880's, but are making a small comeback thanks to the efforts of some of Montana's Indian tribes.
The area was first explored in 1805 as part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The expedition spent the better part of June and July of that year exploring the local area and portaging the waterfalls of the Missouri River near the present city of Great Falls. The following year, the party returned and did some additional exploring on their way back home. Lewis explored what is now part of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the Two Medicine river. Clark followed the Yellowstone River through Montana until it linked up with the Missouri River.
In the mid 1800's, Montana saw a surge of prospectors, trappers, mountain men, and adventurers arrive in the local area. Steamship service was established on the Missouri River up to it's farthest possible point, what is today, the town of Fort Benton. Fort Benton became the the origin point for explorers, soldiers and entrepreneurs to begin their adventures in Montana. Steamship service finally ended with the arrival of the railroad in the 1880's, but Fort Benton remains one of the most important towns in Montana history, and today, a very charming place to visit.
Today, the rivers in our local region are a floaters paradise. The rivers have hundreds of miles to explore, with very little development, and many segments have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. While there are sections very popular with tourists, the rivers remain lightly used, and several have barely had any visitors at all, offering the opportunity to completely escape modern reality. Montana, specifically Great Falls, is the only place in the nation where the longest and shortest rivers in the United States meet. At Giant Springs State Park, the Roe River at 201 feet, and the Missouri River at 2,540 miles join together, making it one of the truly unique geographical locations in America.
Enjoy the flows!!!
