MonsignorJabroni t1_j13yx2c wrote
Reply to comment by Initial_E in When this bridge in Fort Benton, Montana, USA was built 1888 it was required to have a swing span to allow steamboats to navigate. It was considered the furthest navigable point on Earth, more than 2,700 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. by triviafrenzy
The bridge isn't the very end of the navigable limit, it's just the last bridge that is needed to let boat traffic through on the navigable stretch. I assume the river becomes impassible not too far upstream from the bridge.
A canal is not natural and many of those we have today did not exist at the time referenced in this post. At the time this bridge was built, there was no point further from an ocean outlet that you could feasibly navigate a boat to without crossing land.
It's not true anymore since there's a shitload of canals elsewhere and there are dams on the Missouri river preventing moving further upstream.
rordan t1_j15a2eb wrote
The river is actually navigable for another ~120 miles, but there are restrictions on what type of boats can go because it's a national historic and scenic stretch of the river. At the end of that stretch is the Fort Peck Dam. So I guess if you went all the way in a kayak or a canoe you could conceivably go from the Gulf all the way to Fort Peck.
whenitpainsitrours t1_j15in9j wrote
What you describe is down stream from fort benton. Upriver is the great falls of the Missouri.
rordan t1_j15jdgm wrote
You're right. I got confused on my directions, seeing as I've only ever floated downriver of Fort Benton. Whoops.
AZFramer t1_j15s4j0 wrote
I think back in the day they ran steamboats right up to Three Forks, where the Missouri River begins. Of course, those boats had a 20% or better chance of sinking before they got there, but the risk was well worth the reward up until the railroad came.
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