In addition to its colorful history, the area offers hunting, fishing, and floating opportunities. The Missouri River was the major water route to the Rocky Mountain west from the time of Lewis and Clark until the arrival of the railroads in the late 1800's. Visitors enjoy scenic vistas that remain much as first described by Lewis and Clark in 1805. The Wild and Scenic Missouri River stretches 149 miles from Fort Benton to BLM's Kipp Recreation Area north of Grass Range. Authorized in October, 1976 with a length of 149 miles covering 131,838 acres. This river corridor also includes numerous historical and archeological sites. The Wild and Scenic Missouri River designation is a spectacular Montana valley with striking rock formations and diverse flora and fauna. The pre-developed Missouri River carried high sediment loads, earning it the nickname ‘Big Muddy.' The basin is home to about 10 million people from 28 Native American tribes, 10 states (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming), and a small part of Canada. The US Army Corps of Engineers regulates the water flow through the river system for multiple uses. The once meandering river is channelized in the lower third and impounded by six dams in much of the upper. At the same time, the Missouri River can at times be a dangerous river, delivering floods that threaten homes, communities and farms. The river provides drinking water for communities, cooling water for power plants, and a low-cost highway for goods and agricultural products. It flows 2,341 miles from its headwaters at the confluence of the Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson Rivers in the Rocky Mountains at Three Forks, Montana, to its confluence with the Mississippi River at St. The Missouri River has been and will continue to be one of the principle assets of the State of Missouri. The Missouri River drains one-sixth of the United States and encompasses 529,350 square miles.
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