Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-14

followed up the course
tinental divide at the summit
confidently believed they had
mighty river. If this was one
particular for, as subsequent
their travels had led them up Q
headwaters of the Missouri t
north of the actual utmost SOUL
Investigations of more recent year.
have brought out that the real sourc,
of the Missouri is a mystic basiI
among extinct volcanic craters at thu
summit Of the Rockies, close to tn,
boundary line between Montana ant
Idaho, in the extreme southeastern
point of Beaverhead county not man!
miles west Of the western b~oundar!
line of the Yellowstone national park
Longer Than Nile or Amazon
The first trickle of water which
augmented by springs and Other
streams in it's journey down through
the mountains towards the more ma.
Jestic waters Of the Missouri, energies
from a hole in the Rocky mountains
5000 feet above sea level. At this
point the rivulet is but two feet in
width and but two inches in depth but
/" 6uthVIS SIICASlH dS IT'S WluuS lie
course down through the Alaska basin,
through Culver's canyon, through the
Red Rock lakes and on and on down
through the Beaverhead, the Jefferson.
the Missouri and finally the Mississippi
TO the sea, a distance of 4,221 miles.
Constituting in all the longest river
channel in the world. eclipsing the
Nile with its 300 miles and the great
Amazon with it's 1900 miles of dis
lance. In it's long journey to the sea
the Missouri. which certain writer's
claim is the main stream of which the
upper Mississippi is merely a tribu-
tary, has an average descent of 10
inches to the mile.
The story of the Missouri is inter
estingly told by Jacob V. Brewer, au-
thor of The Mississippi River and
Its Source" and prehistoric Man at
the Headwaters Of the Mississippi in
his work on The Missouri River and
Its Utmost Source" wrich was written
by him after he had made several ex-
petitions to the source of the Missouri.
His work on the Missouri, which was
published in 1896 and 1897, was dedi-
Gated to the historical society of the
state of Montana, and the Manchester
biographical society of England.
From a Mystic Basin
In his Introductory comments in
The Missouri River and Its Utmost
Source Mr.. Brewer wrote:
"Extant contemporaneous historic
and scientific literature, alike in Eu-
rope and America, incidentally deplores
the unnatural designation by several
names of the longest surface channel
of water of the globe, perennially flow
ing from the summit of the Rocky
mountains, in a continuous and I'M
broken channel. to the seaboard at the
delta of the Mississippi. The modern
nomenclature of this channel. which
has been periodically attached IS firm
ly entrenched in the pages Of an I'M
alterable historic record covering a pc |
Rod of about 300 years. From a mys-
tic basin among extinct volcanic era
tiers in the Rocky mountains. at the
continental divide between Montana
and Idaho. to the southern limit of
Alaska Basin, this channel up to this
tune bears no name. From the Alaska
BASIN down through the Centennial
valley to a point below the immediate
vicinity of a picturesque and rocky red
butte. this channel of water is known
as Red Rock river; thence to the
mouth of the Big Hole river. whence it
has flowed past Beaverhead rock. il is
known as Beaverhead river; thence to
the mouth of the Madison river it is
known as the jefferson fork: thence
to the channel of the Mississippi river
it is known as the Missouri river: and
thence to the Gulf of Mexico it is
known as the lower Mississippi river.
1.-THE excusable reason for this is
found in the fact that the march of
civilized. if not primitive, life has
spanned the continent to the west
ward from the east, discovering the
central but shorter channel first:
thence at the end of long intervals.
other and further discoveries of the
upper waters have been made and new
names to the same channel selected. 10
honor of a band of Indians. a chief
or following some topo-
graphical or geologic feature. Had
the discovery of tbs principal and chief
river channe proceeded from the west
toward the east, there would have been
one name for it's entire course from
the continental divide to the Gulf of
Mexico. and the mouth of the Missis-
would be where is now the mouth
Of the Missouri.
These considerations do not neces-
'arily conflict with the opinions and
exclusions expressed in volume VII
VI Ine minnesota stare historical col
~ections, as prepared under the imme-
supervision of the writer, mi I
,utely describing the ultimate basin of {
he Mississippi. A regret may be ex- |
pressed, however, that. the fault of
e%rminology, the westward course of {
discovery and civilization. and, appar- 9
'ntly, a primordial element in hydro d
have combined in forcing the i
of the shorter channel as the i
main river. :" c
Brewer Seeks Utmost Source v
The story of Brewers expeditions !:
nto southwestern Montana in search -
f the extreme source Of the Missouri a
5 told by him in his book as follows: -
"On the 2Sth of July. 1895, and soon :
fter my return from the source of the !;
Mississippi, Bermidji. Cass and Leech -
lkes, in an examination of the tum- !"
Ii, relics and remains of prehistoric u "
ian found at these points, ! departed "
n another expedition in search of the !
tmost source of the Missouri river. n
On the 2nd of August ! ar ~
wed at Lima, Mont. This little town :.
situated in the immediate valley of -
re Missouri. about 10 miles above the ~
ID butte after which the river at this ="
pint takes its name.