Each June, National Rivers Month gives us a special reason to celebrate the rivers that shape our landscapes, communities, histories, and everyday lives. This year, Friends of the Missouri National Recreational River invited community members, partners, paddlers, park staff, business owners, former board members, and river neighbors to reflect on a simple question: What does the Missouri River mean to you?

Their answers remind us that the river is more than water moving through our landscape. It is home, history, family, adventure, habitat, community, and a place of peace. It is also a shared responsibility — something worth caring for, protecting, and passing on.

Below are reflections from people who know, love, work along, and recreate on the Missouri River. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

The River as Home

For many people, the Missouri River is not just a place to visit. It is a place that shaped who they are.

Barbara Yelverton, Founding Member of FOMNRR
“I grew up along the 39-mile stretch of the Missouri River. As a child, our family spent time hiking along the river among old-growth cottonwood forests, listening to birds and observing the wildlife present in the forest that used the water for sustenance or travel to the Nebraska shore. From childhood, I have loved the constantly changing movement, sound, color, and light of the Mighty Mo. Respect for the river’s power was taught early to me.The river has always provided a place of solitude and reflection for different times during my life. It is constantly changing, but yet is always there in its majesty, bringing its message from the waters miles far and close that make up its might as the longest river in North America. What a privilege it has been, and continues to be, to experience the seasons of this majestic river.”

Ann and Dennis Menke, Friends of the MNRR

Ann and Dennis Menke, Friends of the MNRR
“The Missouri National Recreational River has been our home, our sacred place, our family’s escape, and our outdoor entertainment for three generations of my family. Once you have been baptized into those waters, your spirit forever resides on its banks.”

Karen Springer, Friend of the MNRR
“The river means ‘home’ to me. When I visited Yankton for the first time in November 2017, I remember standing on the top level of the Meridian Bridge, looking west over the river and thinking, ‘This is where I belong.’ I moved here the following summer and can’t imagine being anywhere else. The river is steady, but looks different every day. My favorite days are when it sparkles as if it’s covered in diamonds.”

Jim Stengle, Friend of the MNRR

Jim Stengle, Friend of the MNRR
“I was born, raised, and schooled in Yankton, SD, so the river means home, friendships, adventures, and much more. That early introduction to nature eventually led me to a long career in natural resources. I worked as a biologist from the Arctic/Sub-Arctic to the tropics. As a retiree, I have maintained my professional registration as a Certified Wildlife Biologist just to help when I can with conservation groups, agencies, and veteran nonprofits that protect, maintain, restore, and enjoy our natural, cultural, and historic resources.”

David Thomson, Superintendent of Missouri National Recreational River (National Park Service)
“The river means culture, it means generations, it means respect for the power of nature and safety, it means a connection to the natural world. Like so many generations and people before us, it means home.”

The River as Family and Memory

Again and again, people described the river as a place where families gather, grow, and make memories.

Arthur Rusch, Friend of the MNRR

Arthur Rusch, Friend of the MNRR & State of South Dakota Circuit Judge (Retired)
“My family moved to Yankton in 1954, and since then I have lived along the river in either Yankton or Vermillion. Our present home in Vermillion is located along the bluffs where we can see the river in the distance. As a student, most of my summers were spent working along the river as a counselor at Lewis and Clark Scout Camp and as a park worker for SD Game, Fish and Parks. The river has always been important to my family for picnicking, camping, and boating. The attached picture is of me and three of my grandsons at Mulberry Bend.”

Steve Frick, Missouri River Neighbor
“The Missouri River has been an important and enjoyable part of my life for many years. The memories I have are camping on the sandbars with my parents as a child, fishing, hunting, water skiing, and floating down the river on tubes on hot summer days.”

Bridget Benson, Missouri River Neighbor
“The Missouri River means quality time with family. We have raised our family on the river through boating, fishing, bowfishing, duck hunting, kayaking, swimming, skiing, knee boarding, tubing, and relaxing on the sandbars.”

Brittany Wagner, FOMNRR Chair

Brittany Wagner, Tourism Director for Visit Yankton and 2026/2027 FOMNRR Board Chair
“Some of my favorite memories are simply spending summer days on the water with family and friends. Whether it’s boating, fishing, paddling, or watching the sunset over the river, those moments create lasting memories and remind me why this area means so much to so many people.”

Tom Downs, Program Manager for Interpretation at the Missouri National Recreational River (National Park Service)
“I recently had a fun family day hiking and fishing at Bow Creek Recreation Area. During our visit, my 11-year-old son caught his first Missouri River fish, a nice-sized largemouth bass! During our exploration, we found new things we hadn’t noticed before.”

The River as Peace, Beauty, and Adventure

For paddlers, kayakers, racers, and outdoor lovers, the Missouri River offers both quiet reflection and a sense of adventure.

Susanne Skyrm, Sierra Club South Dakota Chapter
“The Missouri River is a place I go to when I need to be in nature. I always find peace and happiness being near the river and enjoy all of the flora and fauna I see each time I go out.”

Brian Wells, Friend of the MNRR

Brian Wells, Friend of the MNRR
“The river is a peaceful connection with nature. As an avid kayaker, I most enjoy the quiet and serenity as I glide down the river. Observing birds and wildlife before they observe you is the killer benefit of kayaking. One of my favorite memories on the river was finally being able to participate in a river race, the Dam and Back. Paddling from Yankton, up-stream to the dam, and then back to Yankton was both challenging and rewarding. ”

Kelley Ashby, Former FOMNRR Board Member
“One of my favorite memories from my time paddling the Missouri River is the time I’ve spent with family and friends doing something I love — kayaking. The river provides us the perfect place to pause, reconnect, get some exercise, and just relax in the beautiful surroundings the river provides — sights, sounds, or lack thereof, and sunshine. Being in nature with good company and conversation always reduces my stress, and the river brings an extra dose of Mother Nature to enhance my well-being.”

Scott Miller, Missouri River Speed Record Team Captain
“As the longest river in North America and with some of the most dramatic scenery, the Missouri River is a ribbon of adventure, beauty, and wilderness throughout its 2,341 miles.”

Missouri River Speed Record, Photo by Alex Maier/Wilderness Mindset

Scott Duffus, Missouri River Speed Record Paddler
“In many ways, the Missouri River is underappreciated. I grew up on the banks of another underappreciated river. A couple weeks ago, a biologist told me what a ‘polluted disaster’ the Minnesota River is. Yet, it’s not how in my 69 years I ever saw it. Its silty water and its propensity to flood were part of its charm.

Having spent time on the Missouri River, I see a similar legacy. It is easy to write the river off with its dams and reservoirs; with its chocolate-colored water; with its past of being a place where you would dump things so they would flow away — out of sight and out of mind. Of the thousand or so miles of the Missouri River I have experienced, I have not seen a place that isn’t beautiful, more so because its beauty is so often unappreciated.”

Curt Leitz, Missouri River Speed Record Paddler
“I hope future generations will appreciate and enjoy the majestic sweep of the Missouri, from the mountains to the Mississippi. She is many different rivers along the way, with many different types of habitat along her banks and in her waters. Whether one paddles her entire length or takes in scenic vistas at various points along the river, each scene reflects on and deepens the stories of the others.That sense of connection, over thousands of miles and hundreds of communities, fosters a sense of stewardship that will protect the river and its natural and cultural histories.”

The River as Living History

The Missouri River carries stories far older than any of us. Several reflections pointed to the river as a place where natural, cultural, and human history are still visible.

Pat James, Former FOMNRR Board Member

Pat James, Former FOMNRR Board Member
“To me, the Missouri River means living history. I live in Sunshine Bottom, on the Nebraska side of the MNRR-39, and I visualize the many people who have made this home or passed through. I think about many centuries of Indigenous people as they lived, hunted, and traveled along this river highway.

I can imagine the Lewis and Clark Expedition on September 7, 1804, as they camped on the Nebraska riverbank, near the mound now called Old Baldy, where they found prairie dogs and wrote the first scientific descriptions. I picture the many pirogues, keelboats, steamboats, and ferries that used to travel up, down, and across the river.

I’ve learned about the triumphs and struggles of the European-American settlers in Sunshine Bottom, and the farmers and ranchers who build a life along the river now. And I especially love learning about the Yankton Sioux people, Ihanktonwan Oyate, who continue to practice their cultural traditions on the South Dakota side of the river.”

Abby Schauer, Park Ranger

Abby Schauer, Lead Park Ranger at the Missouri National Recreational River (National Park Service)
“The Missouri River has been the main artery for food, transportation, exploration, and life for millions of people for thousands of years. The two stretches of river that make up Missouri National Recreational River are some of the last sections where one can experience what the original Missouri River was like long ago. This river has been providing for thousands of years, and its care is extremely important to ensure that its provision can continue for thousands of years to come.”

The River as Community

The Missouri River also shapes the identity, recreation, and quality of life of the communities along its banks.

Brittany Wagner, Tourism Director for Visit Yankton and 2026/2027 FOMNRR Board Chair
“The Missouri River is part of our identity. It shapes our landscape, drives tourism and recreation, and provides countless opportunities for people to connect with nature. It’s one of the reasons Yankton is such a special place to live, work, and visit.”

Katey Ulrich, Co-Owner of XiX Brewing Company
“Vermillion is so lucky to have the Missouri River and Clay County Park at our fingertips! From boating to fishing to walking the trails, we love the opportunities the river and park bring to show care for and build our community. It helps bring our mission to life — good beer, better company at the Missouri River!”

The River as Responsibility

Above all, these reflections remind us that caring for the Missouri River is a shared responsibility.

Caroline Ver Mulm, FOMNRR Executive Director

Caroline Ver Mulm, FOMNRR Executive Director
“The Missouri River is ancient. When you think about it, we are just a tiny footnote in the river’s history, yet we have so much power to alter it. If we want future generations to have a clean, free-flowing river that’s still a pristine place to enjoy nature, then we have a duty to leave it better than we found it.”

Kelley Ashby, Former FOMNRR Board Member
“The Missouri River needs to be protected to provide clean water, habitat for wildlife, recreation opportunities, cultural heritage, and ecological benefits that are becoming more and more rare in North America.”

Tom Downs, Program Manager of Interpretation at MNRR

Tom Downs, Program Manager for Interpretation at the Missouri National Recreational River (National Park Service)
“We are all stewards of our environment. The Missouri River still teems with life, and it’s our responsibility to keep its waters clean and protect the ancient species and fragile habitats that depend on it into the indefinite future.”

David Thomson, Superintendent of Missouri National Recreational River (National Park Service)
“Our responsibility is to ensure the communities along the river are healthy now and well into the future. To give future generations the opportunity to love this river and place like we do. Because it’s a very important natural resource for everyone.”

Together, these reflections tell a story of a river that is deeply personal and profoundly shared. The Missouri River is a place of homecoming and discovery, memory and adventure, history and responsibility.

Most of all, it is a river that continues to connect us — across generations, communities, landscapes, and stories.

Together, we can continue to protect, explore, and be inspired by this remarkable river for generations to come.

View the gallery below for more National Rivers Month Reflections: