The Era of Western Expansion
The river we know today was named after an American Indian tribe that was first encountered by Europeans exploring the region. These Missouri Indians traditionally occupied the lands surrounding the point where the Missouri River blends its muddy waters into the mighty Mississippi River. The great tribes of the Osage, Kansas, Mandan, Sioux and many others also called the lands surrounding the Missouri River home.
"We separated the men from the boys at the mouth of the Missouri. The boys went up the Mississippi and the men went up the Big Muddy."
- "Steamboat Bill" Heckmann