'Brower's Spring' is a spring in the
Centennial Mountains of
Montana that is believed to be the ultimate headwaters of the
Missouri River.
The spring is named for
Jacob V. Brower who in 1896 declared it to be the source of the Missouri in ''The Missouri: Its Utmost Source''. He visited the site in 1888 and buried a copper plate with his name and date.
The spring is
100 miles (200 km) further than the spot
Meriwether Lewis reported in 1805 as the source of the river above
Lemhi Pass on Trail Creek. Both sources are near the
Continental Divide in
Montana. It is
298.3 miles (480.1 km) from where the Missouri River officially starts.
The site of Brower's Spring at around
8,800 feet (2,700 m) at the source of Hell Roaring Creek. It is commemorated by a rock pile. Hell Roaring Creek flows into Red Rock River and then into
Clark Canyon Reservoir where it joins the Beaverhead River then the Big Hole River before ultimately hooking up with the
Jefferson River which forms the Missouri at
Missouri River Headwaters State Park at
Three Forks, Montana.
[1]
The Spring is just below the ridge on
Mount Jefferson.
[2]
As of
10 February 2007, the site was not listed as an official name on the Geographic Names Information System maintained by
USGS.
[3]
References
1. The True Utmost Reaches of the Missouri - Montana Outdoors - July-August 2005
2. The Google Earth description has it located to the left of an unnamed stream. The topo map also shows an intermittent stream higher on the ridge at about 9,300 feet but intermittent streams are not considered the source of streams
3. Query Form For The United States And Its Territories
External links