Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-30
DISTANCE LENDS ENcHANrMENT.
9houghts of the Bays when the Mis-
souri, BIossOIRea with Tramc.

st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
The possible abandonment Of the Missouri
river in the near future, so far as regards
appropriations for its Improvement by con-
gress, is a humiliation for that stream
which nobody could have dreamed Of In the
earlier days. This is one of the worlds
greatest waterways, physically, scientifically
and historically. Measured from its source
in the Rocky mountains down to the mouth
Of the lower Misslssippi-and this is called
by some geographers the main stream, with
the upper Mississippi as the afluent-the
distance is about 1900 miles. The Missouri
ITSELF reckoning 1t from its rise at the con-
tinental divide to its entrance into the Mis-
sissippi, has a length Of about $500 miles.
1t is about 300 miles longer than the Mis-
s%issippi, Of which It is the largest ~afiuent.
or the 100000 square miles in the water
shed Of the Mississippi and its tributaries
the Missouri, its principal branch, contrib
utes SOS 900. In the high-water stage of
the spring and early summer the Missouri is
navigable for light-draft steamboats, up to
Fort Benton, In Montana, a distance Of 1900
miles.
When Joliet and Marquette on their jour-
ney from Canada by way Of the Great Lakes
and the Fox and Wisconsin rivers, went
0Ohh tuc N1loblbblppl II 100 10 the mouth
Of the Arkansas they were surprised and
alarmed when passing the Missouri. The
torrent Of yellow mud which they saw at a
certain point on the west side Of the main
stream surging across the smooth blue
surface Of the Mississippi, carried with 1t,
In the few minutes which they viewed it,
enough trees to stock a small forest. When
it's current made their canoes dance and
whirl like dry twigs in a mountain brook
Marquette said: 81 never saw anything
more terrific" The old missionary re-
marked that he would return there some
day and go by way of that river to Asia.
The Missouri may be said to have a oontin-
uous history from that day, two and q third
centuries ago, to this. Moreover. there is
a chance that its annals began even earlier
than that time. Coronado, the Spanish con-
~quistadore from Mexico, chasing Quivtra'H
golden myth. was in Kansas more than a
century before Marquette and Joliet went
down the Mississippi, and some Of the anti
Quarians have figured that he either reached
the Missouri OF came very close to it.
Thus. when Lewis and Clark. about 100
years ago, were working their rowboats W
against the Missouri's turbulent and tortu-
Gus current that river had much more than
a century Of a background OF history behind
II. In the days of the French dominion
prospecting and exploring parties were W
that river as far as the mouth OF the Kansas
as early as 17O5. The Verendryes were or
Its upper waters, In the present state Of
Montana, In 1743. The otoes. Sioux, omahas
Mandans and Aricaras, whom Jefferson'I
first explorers saw when on their way across
the continent, were not altogether unac-
quainted with white men at that time. From
1901. when Manuel Lisa Of the Missouri Ful
company went up the big river to the moutl
Of The Yellowstone and then ascended tina
stream to the confluence of the Bighorn
where he erected the first trading post OF
the upper waters and the first house In the
present Montana, onward until long afteI
the end OF the fur trades great days, thu
Missouri was the scene OF much activity
In 1873 the first steamboats, to enter tina
river, Independence and Western Engineer
went up several hundred miles. The Ameri
can Fur company's Yellowstone steamed a
far as the e~ompany's post at Fort Pierre
in the present South Dakota, in 1929. After
ward, in the days OF the early settlers Il
Iowa, Kansas. Nebraska and the Dako,as AM
from that time until long after the com
pletion Of Cakes mes and Huntingdon
Pacific railroads, the Missouri swarmed will
steamboats,. But the glory OF the great rive
has departed. The railroads have AXE
away It's business and its picturesquenes
and romance have passed into history.