Montana Fun Facts: Is This Montana River The Shortest In America?

Montana is filled with all kinds of water; lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams can be found all around the Treasure State, but Montana has one river that really stands out.

So what makes this Montana river so special?

According to several experts, Montana is home to the shortest river in the entire United States. Although, our friends over in Oregon are more than likely to disagree, as they claim to have the shortest river in America.

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So who is right?

Well, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Roe River here in Montana is the shortest at just 201 feet. The Roe just so happens to run alongside the longest river in the United States, which is the Missouri River.

The Roe River is located in Giant Springs State Park in Great Falls. (Another fun fact: Giant Springs is one of the largest freshwater springs in the nation.) The Roe River came to fame back in the late 1980s after an elementary teacher at a local Great Falls school decided to start a campaign to get the river into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The river, which was unnamed at the time, was given the name Roe and ended up making the Guinness Book, after all, replacing the D River in Lincoln City, Oregon, which is how the debate began. The residents of Lincoln city didn't seem to take too kindly to the fact that their beloved little river was replaced and demanded the matter be revisited.

Guinness just decided to leave it be and eventually took the record out of their book.