The Missouri River is very long.
It flows through the United States. It starts in the high mountains. Then it flows to the Mississippi River. Many people live near the water. It is a big, busy river. Do you like rivers?
The Missouri River is very long.
It is the longest river in the United States. It starts in the high mountains.
Then it flows east and south. It joins the Mississippi River.
Many people live near the water. They use the river for food and travel. The river also helps make power for homes. It is a very big and busy river.
The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States.
It begins in the high Rocky Mountains in Montana. From there, it flows east and south. It eventually joins the Mississippi River near St. Louis.
For a very long time, people have used the river. Native Americans lived near the water for 12,000 years. They hunted bison on the Great Plains. Later, explorers and fur traders used the river to travel west.
In the 1800s, people used steamboats to move along the water.
Today, the river is very busy. People use it for farming and for making power. Many dams sit along the river. These dams make large lakes called reservoirs.
Some of these are very big. Lake Sakakawea, Lake Oahe, and Fort Peck Lake are among the largest. The river helps provide water for crops and homes. However, building near the river has changed the home of many fish and animals.
The Missouri River is a huge and vital part of North America. It is the longest river in the United States. The river starts high in the Rocky Mountains in Montana. It flows east and south across the wide Great Plains. Eventually, it meets the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri.
This river is part of a massive system. When it joins the Mississippi, they form the fourth-longest river system in the world. The river drains a massive area of land. This watershed covers more than 500,000 square miles.
Water moves through the river in a very specific way. It begins from three different streams in the mountains. One long stream starts near Brower's Spring in Montana. This water flows through several rivers like the Red Rock and the Jefferson. Other streams come from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. These streams join together to form the official Missouri River.
The river then winds through many different landscapes. It flows through canyons and badlands called the Missouri Breaks. It also passes through many large reservoirs. These are huge lakes made by building dams.
Many different people have lived near this river for a long time. For over 12,000 years, Native Americans used the water to live. Many groups lived in the area and moved around to find food. They often followed huge herds of bison on the Great Plains.
Later, Europeans arrived in the late 1600s. The land was held by Spain and France before the United States bought it. In the 1800s, the river became a main path for moving west. Trappers used it for the fur trade.
Soon, pioneers used covered wagons and steamboats to travel.
Today, the river is managed by many large structures. There are fifteen dams on the main part of the river. Hundreds more dams sit on the smaller rivers that join it. These dams help control floods and make electricity. They also create some of the biggest lakes in the country.
Lake Sakakawea, Lake Oahe, and Fort Peck Lake are three very large ones. The river also helps farmers grow food. About one-fourth of all U.S. farmland is in this watershed. This area provides a lot of the world's wheat and oats.
The Missouri River connects many different states and climates. It touches ten U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The weather can be very different depending on where you are. In the north, winters are very cold and harsh. In the summer, it can be very warm and wet.
Many big cities sit near the river. Denver, Colorado, is a very large city in the watershed. Other major cities include Omaha, Kansas City, and St. Louis.
While the river helps people, it has also changed the land. Building near the water has affected the fish and wildlife. It has also changed the quality of the water itself.
The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States. It flows through the Central and Mountain West regions of the country. The river starts high in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana. From there, it travels east and south across the Great Plains. Eventually, it enters the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri.
When the Missouri joins the Mississippi, they form a massive system. This combined system is the fourth-longest river system in the world. The Missouri is even longer than the Mississippi itself. However, the Mississippi carries a larger volume of water.
The river drains a massive area called a watershed. This watershed covers more than 500,000 square miles. That is about one-sixth of the total area of the United States. The watershed includes parts of ten U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
It stretches from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River Valley. The watershed is roughly the same size as the Canadian province of Quebec. It contains about one-fourth of all agricultural land in the United States. This land produces over one-third of the nation's wheat, flax, barley, and oats.
The river begins through the meeting of three different streams. The longest source stream starts near Brower's Spring in Montana. It flows through the Red Rock and the Beaverhead River. This stream eventually joins the Big Hole to form the Jefferson River. Other streams come from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. These include the Firehole River and the Gallatin River.
The official Missouri River starts where the Jefferson and Madison rivers meet. This happens at Missouri Headwaters State Park near Three Forks, Montana. The Gallatin River joins the main stem just one mile downstream.
As the river flows, it passes through many different landscapes. It moves through the Missouri Breaks, which are canyons and badlands. The river also passes through many large man-made lakes. These are called reservoirs.
Large dams were built to create these reservoirs. These structures help with irrigation, flood control, and making electricity. Fifteen dams sit on the main stem of the Missouri River. Hundreds of other dams exist on its many tributaries. Some of the largest artificial lakes in the U.S. are here. These include Lake Sakakawea, Lake Oahe, and Fort Peck Lake.
Humans have lived near this river for a very long time. For over 12,000 years, Native Americans used the river for food and travel. More than ten major groups lived in the watershed. Most of these groups were nomadic, meaning they moved from place to place. They relied on huge herds of bison that lived on the Great Plains.
Europeans first encountered the river in the late seventeenth century. The land passed through Spanish and French hands. Later, the United States acquired the region through the Louisiana Purchase. In the 1800s, the river became a path for westward expansion. Trappers used it for the fur trade.
Later, pioneers used steamboats to travel west.
The weather in the watershed changes a lot. It has a continental climate. This means it has warm, wet summers and very cold, harsh winters. Most of the area gets an average of 30 inches of rain each year. However, some parts of the Rockies get much more. In the winter, temperatures in the north can drop to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. In the summer, temperatures can rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
These extreme changes affect the plants and animals in the region.
Many large cities are located within the Missouri River basin. Denver, Colorado, is the largest city in the watershed. It has a population of more than 600,000 people. Other major population centers include Omaha, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri. The St. Louis area is also a major center near the river's end. While some areas are crowded, the northwestern part of the basin is very empty. Today, the river is very important for industry and farming. However, heavy development has changed the water quality. It has also impacted the fish and wildlife populations in the area.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (26)
+ 14 more
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.