The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-04-04
ONE RIVER DRAINS TEN STATES
The Missouri Is Widespreading
Stream, With Many Branches.

The water supply of the great Mis-
souri, river drainage area is the subject
of publication recently issued by the
United States geological survey, entitled
Surface Water Supply OF the Missouri
River Basin, 1911" (Water-Supply Pap
er 1906, by w. A. Lamb, w. b. Free
man, and Raymond Richards. This re-
port contains the records of flow at 1870
permanent stations of the survey during
the year 1911, data which are necessary
to every form of water development,
whether it be water power, navigation,
irrigation, or domestic water supply.
some of the tributary streams are ex-
Iceedingly variable in flow; others. like
the Niobrara in Nebraska, are remark
ably uniform.
A systematic study of Missouri river
and its tributaries is being carried on by
the United States geological survey.
streams OF the Missouri river basin and
their great economic Importance for ir-
rigation, power, and other purposes, the
investigation is one of the highest inn
portance.
Many Fine Water-Power Sites.
The Missouri proper is formed in
southwestern Montana by the junction
of three streams which We're discovered
by Lewis and Clark in 1906 and were
named by them Jefferson, Madison, and
Gallatin rivers OF these three jefferson
river drains the largest area and is con-
sidered the continuation of the main
stream. This part of Montana is noun
tainous and affords many excellent
water-power sites. Among the principal
tributaries of the Missouri are the Ma
rias, Musselshell, Yellowstone, Cheyenne,
Platte, and Kansas The western part
of the basin is in the arid belt and the
eastern part is in the semiarid and
humid regions.
Ten states of the union are drained in
part by the Missouri river. Rising at
the Red Rock lakes, at an elevation of
$500 feet above sea level this stream
deseends through the Rocky mountains
and energies on the broad prairie land a
few miles below the city of Great Falls,
Montana. From that point it is ac-
counted navigable stream with an easy
easy grade, and in passing through the
Dakotas and along the borders of Ne
braska, Kansas, and Iowa it receives the
low of great tributaries, so that as it
crosses the state of Missouri and Joins
the Missippi short distance above st.
Louis, it becomes one of the large rivers
OF the world. It's total drainage area is
about $4,000 square miles in extent and
comprises, in addition to the states
above mentioned. large areas in Wyom-
ing and Colorado and a smaller area in
the southwestern part of Minnesota.
Great Government Irrigation Dams.
On Shoshone river in Wyoming. trib-
utary of the Yellowstone. which joins the
Missouri in eastern Montana, is located
the Shoshone dam, the highest structure
OF its kind in the world, 1928 feet from
foundation to capstone. This structure
was erected by the government to inn
pound water for irrigation on the arid
lands in the valley of shoshone river
below. Another great structure of a
similar kind Is located in Wyoming. on
North Platte river, which Joins the Mis-
souri, near Omaha, Nebr. This is known
as the Pathfinder dam. and was also
erected by the government to impound
water for Use in the irrigation of lands
in Wyoming and Nebraska. Another
notable engineering structure in the
drainage basin of the Missouri river is
the Belle Fourche dam, erected across
the river of the same name in South Da-
kota by. the government to impound
water for irrigation. This dam is an
Garth embankment l55 feet high and IA
miles long. containing 100000 cubic
yards of earth Sill. This is the largest
earth dam in existence.