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Show Chapter 1 The Basin and Its Regional Problems1 The Missouri is one of America's great rivers. It is the longest, although not the largest. It had little significance for Americans until after the Louisiana Purchase and became known only after Lewis and Clark had reported upon their explora- tions of the West. The mountains on its western divide were no less a deterrent to westward migra- tion than the great wind-swept plains. Although gold and other minerals attracted the venturesome and hardy, and grazing lands encouraged the stock- man, it was the deep rich prairie soils that laid the foundation for the occupancy of the Missouri Basin. As he pushed farther and farther out into the plains, the settler found the soils became thin- ner. Drought plagued him. Snows entrapped him. It was an empire, but it had to be won against the natural odds-drought, scarcity of water, bliz- zards, and floods. Today, despite 150 years of settlement, the chal- lenge of the Missouri still remains. We have 1 The original draft of this study was prepared during 1950 by the Committee on River Program Analysis of the Commission. The following persons served on the com- mittee, participated in the planning or review of the re- port, and contributed data to it: George Adkins, Federal Power Commission. James Bowman, Tennessee Valley Authority. Charles A. Cocks, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. Harold L. Davis, Bureau of Reclamation, Depart- ment of the Interior. Raymond H. Davis, Soil Conservation Service, De- partment of Agriculture. S. H. Gale, Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. William E. Holy, Public Health Service. Carl Izzard, Bureau of Public Roads, Department of Commerce. Edward N. Munns, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. Victor Roterus, Department of Commerce. largely taken over the basin, but we have yet to learn fully how to meet nature's requirements. The welfare of agriculture has had great fluctua- tions, population has remained constant for some years, and industrial growth has been slow. The basin's difficulties in large part are due to water- or to its lack. Because of this the Commission in- cluded the Missouri among the basins to be stud- ied. The problems which took shape in that study are manifold, and are much more complex than the simple but harsh environment of which the Missouri River system is part. The Land and Climate There are 530,000 square miles in the Missouri Basin, and its longest straight line distance is 1,500 miles, about half the distance across the continent. Great diversity is of course found in such an enormous area. Both natural conditions George E. Tomlinson, Bureau of Reclamation, De- partment of the Interior. Frank L. Weaver, Federal Power Commission. Edwin E. Wilson, Bureau of Reclamation, Depart- ment of the Interior. Wesley Calef, President's Water Resources Policy Commission, committee secretary. Edward A. Ackerman, President's Water Resources Policy Commission, committee chairman. The study is based on information available between May and October 1950, including special basin reports submitted to the Commission by interested Federal agen- cies. Following preparation of the original draft by the Committee on River Program Analysis the study was edited and revised by Edward A. Ackerman, John C. Beebe, John M. Carmody, Patricia Howse, Edward N. Munns, Evelyn S. Myers, and Jane G. Perry. Individual committee members or the agencies where they are em- ployed therefore may or may not be in agreement with particular conclusions here presented. 161 |
