The Missouri River is the longest river in United States. Starting its flow in Brower's Spring in the Centennial Mountains of Beaverhead County Montana that was marked by a surveyor in 1888 as the ultimate headwaters of the Missouri River. The Missouri flows east and south for 2,341 miles before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri where it heads south and ending in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Missouri River is considered the "Center of Life" for the Great Plains. It has served as the main artery for exploration, food, trade, and transportation for millions of people over thousands of years. About one-fourth of all the agricultural land in the U.S. is found in the Missouri River watershed, which provides more than one-third of the country's wheat, flax, barley, and oats.
The Missouri River supports a large amount of wildlife. The prehistoric-looking paddlefish or the endangered sturgeon among some 150 species of fish within the entire Missouri River Basin. The basin also supports 300 species of birds and a variety of mammals including elk, whitetails, and mule deer.
The Big Muddy, which is the Missouri River's nickname is such an important river to the areas around it that I have to honor it with 5 stars. read more