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Dauphin Rapids (Missouri River, Montana) The Dauphin rapids were the most difficult barrier to steamboat traffic on the upper Missouri River, during the heyday of steamboat transportation on the upper Missouri which ran from the discovery of gold fields in Montana territory in 1863 to the coming of the railroad in 1887.s&w, m&b

Steamboats on the Upper Missouri, 1863 to 1887

The discovery of gold in Montana Territory in 1863 ushered in the golden age of steamboat transportation on the upper Missouri River. Steamboats from ports on the lower Missouri brought freight and passengers to the head of navigation of the upper Missouri at Fort Benton, Montana,after which the freight and passengers went overland to the goldfields of western Montana.m&b.

Steamboat travel on the upper Missouri was often difficult. The key to a successful steamboat passage to the head of navigation at Fort Benton was the amount of water in the river. M&B. The water fluctuated with the seasons. High water came with the spring runoff from the snowfields in the Montana mountains. High water would vary from year to year. Typically high water peaked in June, after which the flow of water diminished to a stage of low water in the late summer or fall. m&b

The Dauphin Rapids on the Upper Missouri

The last 300 miles of river, from old Fort Peck (historical site was near the present location of Fort Peck dam) up to Fort Benton was through the Missouri breaks. The breaks are an area of deeply eroded badlands that extended out for miles on either side of the upper Missouri River. They are so rough that they defy normal modes of transportation, so that the Missouri River is isolated as it flows through this 300 mile stretch. There were many rapids in the Missouri breaks area of the Upper Missouri, but the most difficult was Dauphin rapids. s&w

Depending on the flow of water over the Dauphin rapids they were often a hive of activity as boats sought to overcome the current at high water, or offload freight to lighten draft in low water. m&b When the river was high, the depth of water increased in the Dauphine rapids allowing navigation by boats with deeper draft, but the current also increased. Heavily laden steamboats often did not have enough power to drive through rapids like Dauphin. The steamboat crew had to lay a line ahead to a snag buried by the crew in the river bank, called a deadman. The steamboat crew then used their steam engine to turn the winch to wind in the line, which warped the boat slowly up the rapids. Sometimes this process had to be repeated several times to get through a rapids. m&b

As the river flow decreased the flow of water dropped in the rapids, and only smaller shallow draft steamboats could get up through the rapids. Deeper draft steamboats had to unload some or all of their freight. In extremely low water, the depth of clearance got so shallow that at times, no boat could traverse the Dauphin rapids.

Dauphin Rapids During Periods of Low Water on the Upper Missouri

When the river was low, steamboats at the Dauphin Rapids (River Mile 102) would offload half their freight and their passengers below the Rapids, reducing their draft. The passengers walked upstream along the shore, and the steamboat then took half the freight up through the rapids, and then the steamboat offloaded that freight and dropped down through the rapids to pick up the other half of the freight to carry it up through the rapids. After the freight and passengers were reloaded at the top of the rapids, the steamboat went on.

When water was even lower, shoal waters appeared below Dauphin rapids at Grand Island (River Mile 139)and Cow Island (River mile 128). If a steamboat could still make its way over the Dauphin Rapids with no load, the following procedure was followed. The steamboat would unload about half of the freight at Grand Island to reduce their draft to three feet or less, then proceed to the bottom of Dauphin rapids where the freight and passengers were offloaded, then back to Grand Island for the rest of the freight, then back to the bottom of Dauphin Rapids where the freight was carried off the steamboat so it could traverse Dauphin Rapids unloaded, while the freight was portaged around the rapids to be reloaded at the head of the rapids.

When the river was so low that even an unloaded steamboat could not traverse upstream through the Dauphin rapids, resort was had to several other options. If there were still boats on the river above the rapids, freight would be offloaded below the rapids, and portaged to the head of the rapids, and a contract would be negotiated with the upstream to have the freight loaded above the rapids for passage upriver to Fort Benton. If this option wasn't available, freight and passengers were offloaded at Cow Island landing at the mouth of Cow Creek, some 25 miles down river. There, an open air depot for freight was maintained from mid summer to fall, with watchmen for security. The offloaded freight was loaded onto wagons pulled by spans of oxen or mules. Cow Creek had a flat alluvial bottom. The wagons took the freight north up Cow Creek through the Missouri breaks, and out onto the broad plains of Montana, north of the river from which point the teams and wagons went westward to Fort Benton.

How the Dauphin Rapids were Named

The rapids were named for Louis Dauphin. M&B (p. 140). Louise Dauphin was a respected hunter and scout on the Upper Missouri, and for part of his career, he was a hunter on the steamboats, whose job was to provide fresh meat for the crew and passengers. M&B. A hunter would typically leave the docked steamboat at midnight and walk ahead, hunting along the banks. Game that he killed would be hung on a tree on the river bank to be picked up by the steamboat as it came upstream. Dauphin was a favorite of Captain Joseph LaBarge, who described him as seeming to delight in danger, and having no fear of Indians. M&B His lack of prudence led to his death at the hands of the Sioux in 1865 at the mouth of the Milk River. M&B CHANGE AND PARAPHRASE.

Viewing and Visiting the Dauphin Rapids Today; Traveler's Warnings for the Missouri Breaks

Notes: 1. We should check and see the site again. I think it is a pretty unremakable view and we might say so, and demonstrate it by a photo or photos. The most accessible site to photo it is from the north. 2. This may be overkill on the Travler's advisory, except that the perils are uniquely so. Could we put the warnings into a separate article, entitled Missouri Breaks, Traveler's Perils, or something like that, and refer to that article in our other articles. 3. Recent review indicates that the route north to Chinook may be unpaved most of the way, but be graveled before Lloyd is reached. The route north to Big Sandy hits pavement at Mont. HW 236, about 24 miles from Big Sandy. 4. If we go up here we can advise the distances to gravel road. 4. We may advise that the route from Winifred is the best and easiest because of the shorter stretch of dirt road.

The Dauphin Rapids are still visible on the Missouri River in the remote area of Montana known as the Missouri Breaks. The head of the rapids is located at this location: Lat. 47°44'35.94"N, Long. 109°22'46.65"W.

The Dauphine Rapds are located at River Mile 102.1. That is, they are located 102.1 river miles below Fort Benton. M&B, S&W5]

The site of the Dauphine Rapids is located only about a half mile (and around a bend) down stream from the seasonal McClelland Ferry, also called the Stafford Ferry, which is located at River Mile 101.5. The ferry opens in the spring and closes in the fall.

Entering "Dauphine Rapids, Montana" into "Google Earth" will allow one to see the site of the Rapids on a Google Earth satellite map.

The site of the ferry (and thus the vicinity of the Dauphine Rapids) can be reached by car on reasonably decent roads from the north or the south, but with strict regard to travelers' warnings described later. From the ferry, the north access road proceeds for about 1 road mile around a bend and down along the river, after which the head of the Dauphine Rapids site is visible. If the ferry is closed travelers coming from the south will drive to the south ferry landing and then have to hike about one-half mile over fairly rough Missouri Breaks terrain to overlook the site of the head of the rapids.

From the ferry "Lloyd Rd" runs north, proceeding to the crossroads known as Lloyd, Montana over a distance of about 50 miles, and then proceeding about 25 additional miles further north to Chinook, Montana, where U.S. Highway 2 is encountered. This route passes through the eastern foothills of the Bearpaw Mountains. An alternative route north from the ferry is to go about 20 miles north on "Lloyd Rd" to an intersection with "Cow Island Trail" then proceed for about 55 miles west via Montana Road 236 to Big Sandy, Montana where U.S. Highway 87 is located. This road skirts the southern foothills of the Bearpaws. In order to view the site of the rapids by driving from the south the road leaves pavement at Winifred, Montana, and goes about 17 miles north to the ferry site, but as noted above this route requires a hike of about one-half to three-quarters mile to reach the head of the rapdis.

The traveler should take note that the McClelland/Stafford Ferry (and thus the Dauphine Rapids site) is located deep in one of the most remote areas of Montana known as the Missouri Breaks. This area was remote historically, and it is still remote due to its inaccessibility. The road to and from the ferry have long stretches which only have a dirt surface. Missouri Breaks roads with a dirt surface are very difficult to traverse when the surface becomes wet because of what is locally termed "gumbo" mud. When it rains the dirt road surface can first become very slick, and then enters a secondary phase where the wet dirt will accumulate as sticky mud around tires until they will not turn. Even walking can become laborious over a wet surface in the Missouri Breaks, as mud adheres to one's feet. The only solution is to wait until the rain stops and the surface dries out. Fortunately, usually rain comes in sudden downpours, and the wind then dries out the surface in a few hours or days. Rain can usually be anticipated by weather reports or (as a last resort) by watching cloud formations.

The roads are easily traversed if the dirt surface is dry, or if the dirt surfaces are frozen. A stretch of graveled road usually does not have the "gumbo mud" problems. However, the traveler is advised that the entire distance of these roads can become closed with drifted snow in the winter.

These roads in the breaks have only the occasional ranch or farm, and these are outside "the breaks" area, which parallel the Missouri and extend for miles out on either side. A traveler in or around the breaks should be prepared to wait out wet weather, and be able to walk from a vehicle with mechanical problems, or which becomes to stuck to move.

Geological Reason for the Dauphine Rapids, and the Difficulty and Danger of the Rapids

The geological reason for the Dauphin rapids is not readily apparent. There is no ledge of rock visible on either bank of the Missouri to explain the existence of the rapids. The most probable cause is the shedding of boulders off the south bank of the river S&W Although the sandstone boulders are fairly soft, they apparently accumulate in the river faster that they can be carried away or break down.

S&W.  The randon and shifting postion of the boulders is also probably the reason for the difficulty and danger from the rapids, in that the conformation of the rapids would change as their underwater changed with the steady addition of new boulders from the south cliff.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Efforts to Make the Rapids Easier to Traverse

References M&B is Glen Monahan and Chanler Biggs, Montana's Wild and Scenic Upper Missouri River. S&X ???