Along the Wakpa Chan Shoka Traditional Cache

The headwaters of the Little Missouri River, once called by Native Americans Wakpa Chan Shoka meaning heavily wooded river, are in northeastern Wyoming. The river flows from south to north through parts of Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and the rugged badlands and rolling prairie of western North Dakota. In North Dakota, the Little Missouri River enters the southwestern corner of the state and flows in a northerly and then easterly direction to its confluence with Lake Sakakawea near Killdeer. The river flows through the Little Missouri National Grasslands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park and is the only river that North Dakota has designated as a scenic river.

The Little Missouri River is characterized by a highly seasonal flow and has a drainage area of about 4,750 square miles in North Dakota. The treeless and barren slopes of the Little Missouri River Basin produce rapid and excessive overland runoff, and tributary streams flood frequently. Because the river channels of the basin are in the easily eroded shale and sandstone of the badlands, large quantities of sediment are transported downstream.

The above information was copied from the following source:

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). "North Dakota Water Science Center." Little Missouri River. 11 Feb. 2008. 20 Jun. 2009. < http://nd.water.usgs.gov/canoeing/littlemissouri/index.html >.