The is a tributary of the
Mississippi River in the
United States . The Missouri begins at the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin rivers in
Montana , and flows into the Mississippi north of
St. Louis, Missouri . At about 2,315 mi (3,725 km) in length, it is the second longest river in the United States and drains approximately one-sixth of the
North American continent. The combined Missouri-Mississippi river system is the
Fourth Longest River in the world. At its confluence with the upper Mississippi, the Missouri carries less than half the volume of the upper Mississippi. Its volume on average is also less than that of the
Ohio River , another tributary of the Mississippi.
The headwaters of the Missouri are in the
Rocky Mountains of southwestern
Montana , near the
Continental Divide . The river rises in the
Jefferson ,
Madison , and
Gallatin rivers, which converge near
Three Forks, Montana to form the Missouri. It flows north, through mountainous canyons, emerging from the mountains near
Great Falls , where a
Large Cataract historically marked the navigable limit of the river. It flows east across the plains of
Montana into
North Dakota , then turns southeast, flowing into
South Dakota , and along the north and eastern edge of
Nebraska , forming part of its border with South Dakota and all of its border with
Iowa , flowing past
Sioux City and
Omaha . It forms the entire boundary between Nebraska and
Missouri , and part of the boundary between Missouri and
Kansas . At
Kansas City , it turns generally eastward, flowing across Missouri where it joins the Mississippi just north of
St. Louis .
The river is nicknamed "Big Muddy" because of the high silt content in its flow, a feature that is highly visible at its confluence with the Mississippi. The river was of great importance in the
Westward Expansion of the United States. During the
18th Century , the river was used by
Fur Trade rs under the flags of
Spain and
France . The entire Missouri River
Watershed was acquired from the French by the United States in
1803 as part of the
Louisiana Purchase and explored by the
Lewis And Clark Expedition , which successfully used the river in exploring for a route to the
Pacific Ocean . During the middle and late-
19th Century , the river was a primary means of transportation of goods and passengers before the spread of the railroads. The extensive use of
Paddle Steamer s on the upper river helped facilitate European settlement of the
Dakotas and
Montana , serving to spark several of the most intense
Indian Wars in the region.
In the in Montana;
Garrison in North Dakota;
Oahe ,
Big Bend , and
Fort Randall in South Dakota, and
Gavins Point on the South Dakota-Nebraska border.
These dams were constructed without
Lock s, so commercial navigation on the Missouri cannot proceed above the Gavins Point Dam. The
Corps Of Engineers maintains a 9-foot deep (3 meter) navigation channel for 735 miles (1183 km) between
Sioux City, Iowa and
St. Louis . The dams aid navigation on the lower river by reducing fluctuations in water levels.
The only significant stretch of free-flowing stream on the lower Missouri is the
Missouri National Recreational River section between
Gavins Point Dam and
Ponca State Park ,
Nebraska . This federally-designated "
Wild And Scenic River " is among the last unspoiled stretches of the Missouri, and exhibits the islands, bars, chutes and snags that once characterized the "Mighty Mo".
The extensive system of tributaries drain nearly all the semi-arid northern
Great Plains of the United States. A very small portion of southern
Alberta ,
Canada is also drained by the river through its tributary, the
Milk .
The river's course roughly follows the edge of the glaciation during the last
Ice Age . Most of the river's longer tributaries stretch away from this edge, with their origins towards the west, draining portions of the eastern Rockies.
The American painter .
The
Swiss painter
Karl Bodmer accompanied
German explorer Prince
Maximilian Zu Wied-Neuwied from
1832 through
1834 on his Missouri River expedition. Bodmer was hired as an artist by Maximilian for the purpose of recording images of the
Native American tribes that they encountered in the American West.
In
1843 , the American painter and
Naturalist John James Audubon traveled west to the upper Missouri River and the
Dakota Territory to do fieldwork for his final major opus, ''Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America''. A typical example from this folio is
"American Bison" .
, including the haunting American
Folk Song "
Oh Shenandoah ". Each verse of "
Oh Shenandoah " ends with the line, "...'cross the wide Missouri."
The river is notable for being the setting of the
Pete Seeger song
Waist Deep In The Big Muddy . The song is set in
1942 , during training for
World War II , but its image of a foolish
Captain who pushes his men further and further into a hopeless situation was clearly meant to parallel the
Vietnam War . In the song, a captain leading a squad on training
Maneuver s insists on crossing the titular river, insisting that it is safe to cross. The captain sinks into the mud, drowns, and his squad turns back.
- Great Falls, Montana
- Bismarck, North Dakota (capital)
- Pierre, South Dakota (capital)
- Sioux City, Iowa
- Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Saint Joseph, Missouri
- Kansas City, Kansas
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Jefferson City, Missouri (capital)
- Saint Charles, Missouri
