Missouri River Valley

[[Image:Wpdms nasa topo missouri river.jpg|thumb|right|The Missouri River and its tributaries]] The '''Missouri River Valley''' outlines the journey of the [[Missouri River]] from its [[headwater]]s where the [[Madison River|Madison]], [[Jefferson River|Jefferson]] and [[Gallatin River]]s flow together in [[Montana]] to its [[confluence]] with the [[Mississippi River]] in the [[State of Missouri]]. At {{convert|2300|mi|km}} long the valley drains one-sixth of the United States, and is the longest river valley on the [[North America]]n continent. The valley in the Missouri River [[Drainage basin|basin]] includes [[Upland and lowland (freshwater ecology)|river bottom]]s and [[floodplain]]s. ==Geography== The Missouri's valley ranges from {{convert|6|mi|km|1}} to {{convert|10|mi|km|1}} wide from edge to edge, with gentle slopes from the adjacent upland to the valley floor. Other segments are narrow, less than two miles (3 km) wide, with rugged valley sides. Generally, the wide segments trend west-east and the narrow segments trend north-south. Starting in the state of [[Montana]], the Missouri River Valley travels through [[South Dakota]], forms the shared border of eastern [[Nebraska]] and western [[Iowa]], goes into [[Kansas]] and then eastward through the state of [[Missouri]]. The valley travels through several distinct [[ecoregion]]s with distinct climate, geology and native species. The [[Loess Hills]] are a unique geographic feature of the valley. [[Loess]], a wind-deposited soil, is compounded in slowly rising hills at various points in extreme eastern portions of Nebraska and Kansas along the Missouri River Valley, particularly near the Nebraska cities of [[Brownville, Nebraska|Brownville]], [[Rulo, Nebraska|Rulo]], [[Plattsmouth, Nebraska|Plattsmouth]], [[Fort Calhoun, Nebraska|Fort Calhoun]], and [[Ponca, Nebraska|Ponca]], rising no more than {{convert|200|ft|m}} above the Missouri River bottoms. The majority of these hills stretch along the east side of the river, from [[Westfield, Iowa]] in the north to [[Mound City, Missouri]] in the south. ===Flooding=== Channeling and levee construction have altered how floods affect the Missouri River Valley. Several large floods have affected the valley since Europeans first came into the area. The first recorded event is the [[Great Flood of 1844]], which crested in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] on July 16, 1844, discharged {{convert|625000|cuft|m3|0}} per second. The [[Great Flood of 1951]] discharged {{convert|573000|cuft|m3|0}} per second, cresting on July 14, 1951. This flood devastated the lower Missouri River Valley, including Kansas City, along a reach of river where there was no [[levee]] system. The Kansas City Stockyards were destroyed and the city was forced to move the development of an airport away from the Missouri River bottoms. The [[Great Flood of 1993]] discharged at {{convert|541000|cuft|m3|0}} per second and devastated much of the upper valley. ==Culture== The culture of the Missouri River Valley predates European settlement by thousands of years. The first development of a unique European-driven culture dates to the 1850s when steamboats plied the river. The Missouri River Valley Culture, or "Steamboat Society," was first defined by non-Indian residents of the Dakotas who sold wood to steamboats or [[fur trade|trapped furs]] along the river bottoms. Gambling, prostitution and illegal alcohol sales to American Indians fueled the growth of the culture, which eventually included [[outfitter]]s, livestock ranchers and [[tribal agent]]s. A line of urbanized centers grew along the river in response which bloomed when reservations were alloted throughout the region. Uniting themselves along the banks of the river, South Dakotans identify themselves even today as "East River" or "West River". According to the [[University of South Dakota]], the associated present-day culture of the Missouri River Valley contains a broad swath of political, social, historic, and artistic perspectives. ==Management== [[Image:Pick-Sloan Plan.png|thumb|Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri River Basin, 1992.]] The [[Flood Control Act of 1944]] introduced the [[Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program]]. Designed to benefit the entirety of the Missouri River Basin including the valley, the plan sought to meet the needs of residents throughout the area by providing [[irrigation system]]s and [[reservoir]]s for storing water where needed, along with [[hydroelectric power]], [[flood control]] measures, and navigational improvement. The government did not complete the comprehensive plan for the valley, instead introducing individual projects, including the construction of six dams. They are the [[Fort Peck Dam]] in Montana, the [[Garrison Dam]] in North Dakota, the [[Oahe Dam|Oahe]], [[Big Bend Dam|Big Bend]], and [[Fort Randall Dam]]s in South Dakota, and the [[Gavins Point Dam]] in Nebraska and South Dakota. The channel of the Missouri was also improved extensively along with the development of ports such as the [[Port of Omaha|one in Omaha]] throughout the 1950s and 60s for greater volumes of traffic on the river, which have never come to fruition. ==Protected areas== Following at a distance of years the first recorded exploration of the majority of the valley by the [[Lewis and Clark expedition]] (1804-06), there have been numerous attempts at preserving the natural habitats of the Missouri River Valley, spurred in its early days by concerns of [[Duck hunting|duck hunters]], for the Missouri basin lies across a major migration toutes, the [[Central Flyway]], and in the river's lower reaches, the [[Mississippi Flyway]]. Today there are several [[protected area]]s throughout the course of the Missouri River Valley. They include the [[Theodore Roosevelt National Park]], [[Mark Twain National Forest]] in Missouri and the [[DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge]] in Nebraska. The [[Katy Trail State Park|Katy Trail]] travels along the valley in Missouri. Other protected areas in the valley include: * [[Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge]] * [[Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge]] * [[Lake Sakakawea]] * [[Missouri Headwaters State Park]] * [[Ponca State Park]] * [[Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument]] ==See also== [[:Category:Tributaries of the Missouri River|Tributaries of the Missouri River (category)]] ==External links== * [http://www.missouririverexplorer.com/ Missouri River Valley Explorer] {{Missouri River}} {{coord missing|Nebraska}}