The Missouri River spans 2,300 miles across the American landscape from the headwaters in Montana to where it meets the Mississippi near St. Louis. The Missouri represented a vital route that transported goods and supplies between the cities of the Midwest and outposts at Great Falls and Fort Benton. Unfortunately, the turning of the seasons froze the Missouri in its Montana roots and spring brought huge floods that destroyed crops in the rural farms and destroyed homes and businesses in urban Kansas City.  Ambitious plans were proposed, and were the focus of much debate, but no financier could afford the cost of harnessing the Big Muddy.