Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-04-02
STUDY OF THE MISSOURI

| 7eS; Rood, 1851.
STUDY OF THE MISSOURI
The water supply of the great Mis-
souri, River drainage area is the sub
ject of publication recently issued
by the United States Geological Sur
vey, entitled "Surface Water Supply
of the Missouri River Basin, 1911"
(Water-Supply Paper 306). by w. A..
Lamb, w. B Freeman, and Raymond
Richars. This report contains the
records Of flow at 1870 permanent sta
tions OF the Survey during the year
1911, data which are necessary to
every fern of water development,
whether it be water power, naviga-
tion, irrigation, or domestic water
supply. Some of the tributary
streams are exceedingly variable in
flow; others, like the Niobrara in
Nebraska, are remarkably uniform.
A systematic study of Missouri
River and its tributaries is being
carried on by the United States Geo.
logical Survey. Considering the varied
character of the streams of the Mis-
souri, River basin and their great
economic Importance for irrigation,
power, and other purposes, the in
vestigatlon is one of the highest i'm
portance.
The Missouri proper is formed in
southwestern Montana by She juno
tion of three streams which were dis
covered 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 considered the
continuation of the main stream.
| This part of Montana is mountainous
and affords many excellent water
power sites. Among the principal
| tributaries of the Missouri are the
Marias, Musselshell, Yellowstone,
Cheyenne, Platte and Kansas. The
western part of the basin is in the
arid belt and the eastern part is in
semiarid and humid regions.
Ten States of the Union are drain
ed in part by Missouri River. Ris-
ing at the Red Rock Lakes, at an ele-
vatioE of 6,7O0 feet above sea level,
this stream descends through the
Rocky Mountains and energies on the
broad prairie land few miles below
the city of Great Falls, Mont. From
that point it is accounted a navigable
stream with an easy grade, and in
| passing through the Dakotas and
along the borders of Nebraska, Kan
sas, and Iowa it receives the flow of
| great tributaries, SO that as it crosses
the State of Missouri and joins the
Mississippi short distance above
| st. Louis, 1T becomes one of the large
rivers of the world. It's total drain
age area is about 492, 900 square miles
in extent and comprises, in addition
to the States above mentioned, large
areas in Wyoming and Colorado and
a smaller area in the southwestern
part of Minnesota.
| On Shoshone River in Wyoming, a
tributary of the Bighorn, which in
turn is tributary to the Yellowstone,
which joins the Missouri in eastern
| Montana, is located the Shoshone
dam, the highest structure of it's kind
in the word, 32S feet from founda-
tion to capstone. This structure was
erected by the Government to i'm
pound water for irrigation on the arid
lands in the valley of Shoshone Riy
er below. Another great structure of
a similar kind is located in Wyoming
on North Platte River, which joins
the Missouri near Omaha, Nebr.
/ This is known as the Pathfinder dam.
and was also erected by the Govern.
ment to impound water for use in the
irrigation of lands in Wyoming and
Nebraska. Another notable engineer.
ing structure in the drainage basin OF
the Missouri River is the Belle
Fourche dam, erected across the riv.
er of the same name in South Dakota
by the Government to impound wat.
er foa irrigation. This dam is al
earth embankment 155 feet high and
/ 1-5 miles long, containing 1000, ,0O(
cubic yards Of earth fill. This is the
largest earth dam in existence.