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The
Missouri's valley ranges from 6 miles (9.7 km) to 10 miles (16.1 km) 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
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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
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discharged 573,000 cubic feet (16,226 m) 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
143:, 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
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231:. In response to this economic activity, a line of urbanized centers grew along the river, which prospered further when reservations were allotted throughout the region.
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The government did not complete the comprehensive plan for the valley, instead introducing individual projects, including the construction of six dams. They are the
262:. 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
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The
Missouri River Valley Culture, or "Steamboat Society," was first defined in the 1850s by non-Indian residents of the Dakotas who sold wood to steamboats or
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along the river bottoms. Gambling, prostitution and illegal alcohol sales to
American Indians fueled the growth of the culture, which eventually included
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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
321:(1804–1806), there have been numerous attempts at preserving the natural habitats of the Missouri River Valley, spurred in its early days by concerns of
163:, rising no more than 200 feet (61 m) above the Missouri River bottoms. The majority of these hills stretch along the east side of the river, from
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238:, the associated present-day culture of the Missouri River Valley contains a broad swath of political, social, historic, and artistic perspectives.
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Uniting themselves along the banks of the river, South
Dakotans identify themselves even today as "East River" or "West River". According to the
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in
Nebraska and South Dakota. The channel of the Missouri was also improved extensively along with the development of ports such as the
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throughout the 1950s and 60s for greater volumes of traffic on the river, which have never come to fruition.
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Following at a distance of years the first recorded exploration of the majority of the valley by the
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discharged at 541,000 cubic feet (15,319 m) per second and devastated much of the upper valley.
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travels along the valley in
Missouri. Other protected areas in the valley include:
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on July 16, 1844, discharged 625,000 cubic feet (17,698 m) per second. The
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64:. At 2,300 miles (3,700 km) long the valley drains one-sixth of the
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throughout the course of the
Missouri River Valley. They include the
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The Katy Trail Nature Guide and River Valley Companion.
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west–east and the narrow segments trend north–south.
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The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia.
480:, North Dakota Geological Survey. Retrieved 2/5/08.
132:with distinct climate, geology and native species.
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539:, University of South Dakota. Retrieved 2/5/08.
250:Pick-Sloan Plan for Missouri River Basin, 1992.
139:are a unique geographic feature of the valley.
128:. The valley travels through several distinct
887:Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
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383:Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
395:Tributaries of the Missouri River (category)
104:, the Missouri River Valley travels through
76:continent. The valley in the Missouri River
882:Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge
363:Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge
270:for storing water where needed, along with
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523:Sisson, R., Zacher, C.K., et al. (2007)
329:, and in the river's lower reaches, the
278:measures, and navigational improvement.
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499:, Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 2/5/08.
124:and then eastward through the state of
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892:Missouri National Recreational River
358:Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge
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918:River valleys of the United States
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551:, MSN Encarta. Retrieved 2/5/08.
410:River basins in the United States
260:Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program
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428:Beatte, B. and Dufur, B. (2007)
339:Theodore Roosevelt National Park
527:Indiana University Press. p 47.
442:The Missouri River Story - USGS
347:DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
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373:Missouri Headwaters State Park
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511:"The Great USA Flood of 1993"
432:Katy Trail. Retrieved 2/5/08.
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933:Geography of Omaha, Nebraska
849:U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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28:outlines the journey of the
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694:Great Falls of the Missouri
513:. National Weather Service.
490:"The Missouri River Valley"
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859:U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
778:Lewis and Clark Expedition
537:"Missouri River Institute"
343:Mark Twain National Forest
333:. Today there are several
319:Lewis and Clark Expedition
236:University of South Dakota
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844:Flood Control Act of 1944
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549:"United States Geography"
301:in South Dakota, and the
256:Flood Control Act of 1944
227:, livestock ranchers and
100:Starting in the state of
20:The Missouri River Valley
923:Valleys of North Dakota
823:Great Sioux War of 1876
803:Great Platte River Road
405:Little Dixie (Missouri)
818:Treaty of Fort Laramie
793:Independence, Missouri
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854:Montana Power Company
659:Missouri River Valley
289:in North Dakota, the
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209:Further information:
68:, and is the longest
26:Missouri River Valley
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788:Missouri Fur Company
478:"The Missouri River"
461:"The Missouri River"
345:in Missouri and the
169:Mound City, Missouri
928:Valleys of Missouri
467:. Retrieved 2/5/08.
451:. Retrieved 2/5/08.
272:hydroelectric power
199:Great Flood of 1993
190:Great Flood of 1951
184:, which crested in
182:Great Flood of 1844
773:Louisiana Purchase
768:Sieur de Bourgmont
679:Big Belt Mountains
495:2008-11-04 at the
447:2006-09-23 at the
331:Mississippi Flyway
264:irrigation systems
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689:Bighorn Mountains
349:in Nebraska. The
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62:State of Missouri
58:Mississippi River
48:flow together in
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287:Garrison Dam
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211:Great Plains
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157:Fort Calhoun
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120:, goes into
116:and western
110:South Dakota
106:North Dakota
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70:river valley
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832:Engineering
783:Manuel Lisa
624:Tributaries
555:2009-11-01.
186:Kansas City
153:Plattsmouth
137:Loess Hills
86:floodplains
907:Categories
416:References
351:Katy Trail
268:reservoirs
242:Management
225:outfitters
145:Brownville
130:ecoregions
54:confluence
36:where the
34:headwaters
870:preserves
868:Parks and
747:Missouria
727:Blackfeet
652:Geography
619:Crossings
92:Geography
80:includes
56:with the
42:Jefferson
32:from its
704:Big Bend
553:Archived
493:Archived
445:Archived
389:See also
295:Big Bend
175:Flooding
126:Missouri
114:Nebraska
761:History
732:Hidatsa
722:Arikara
205:Culture
102:Montana
72:on the
60:in the
52:to its
50:Montana
38:Madison
742:Mandan
737:Lakota
715:tribes
297:, and
159:, and
122:Kansas
752:Sioux
612:Lists
195:levee
161:Ponca
141:Loess
78:basin
634:Dams
291:Oahe
266:and
254:The
213:and
149:Rulo
135:The
118:Iowa
84:and
44:and
24:The
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