﻿8 
  MUSSELS 
  IN 
  TEIBUTARIES 
  OF 
  UPPER 
  MISSOURI 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  About 
  20 
  miles 
  below 
  Oakes 
  the 
  river 
  widens 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  slough 
  or 
  

   lake, 
  approximately 
  a 
  mile 
  wide 
  and 
  about 
  22 
  miles 
  long, 
  extending 
  

   to 
  within 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  miles 
  of 
  Columbia, 
  S. 
  Dak. 
  The 
  depth 
  in 
  this 
  

   lake-like 
  portion 
  is 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  feet. 
  Apparently 
  the 
  lake 
  is 
  well 
  stocked 
  

   with 
  pickerel 
  and 
  bullheads, 
  so 
  that 
  good 
  fishing 
  is 
  afforded 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  

   places. 
  At 
  Columbia 
  the 
  river 
  becomes 
  extremely 
  narrow, 
  with 
  a 
  

   width 
  of 
  only 
  15 
  feet 
  and 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  6 
  inches 
  to 
  3 
  feet, 
  and 
  displays 
  a 
  

   strong 
  current 
  of 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  miles. 
  per 
  hour. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  variously 
  

   sand, 
  gravel, 
  and 
  soft 
  mud, 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  has 
  a 
  reddish 
  or 
  iron-rust 
  

   color. 
  Living 
  mussels 
  were 
  not 
  seen, 
  but 
  rqany 
  empty 
  shells 
  of 
  

   Anodonta 
  grandis 
  (floater) 
  were 
  found. 
  

  

  Similar 
  conditions 
  seem 
  to 
  exist 
  for 
  a 
  stretch 
  of 
  about 
  50 
  miles, 
  or 
  

   as 
  far 
  as 
  Frankfort, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  place 
  a 
  few 
  scattering 
  beds 
  of 
  

   mussels 
  were 
  observed. 
  The 
  shells 
  were 
  too 
  thin 
  for 
  commercial 
  use 
  

   and 
  comprised 
  the 
  following 
  species: 
  

  

  Anodonta 
  grandis, 
  floater. 
  

  

  Symphynota 
  complanata 
  , 
  white 
  heel-splitter. 
  

  

  Lampsilis 
  ventricosa, 
  pocketbook. 
  

  

  L. 
  luteola, 
  fat 
  mucket. 
  

  

  L. 
  gracilis, 
  paper-shell. 
  

  

  Quadrula 
  undulata, 
  three-ridge. 
  

  

  Arcidens 
  confragosus. 
  rock 
  pocketbook. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  lower 
  course 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  river 
  a 
  generally 
  sluggish 
  stream 
  

   with 
  a 
  width 
  of 
  50 
  to 
  80 
  feet 
  and 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  at 
  ordinary 
  

   stages, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  occasional 
  short 
  reaches 
  of 
  shallow 
  water 
  

   connecting 
  the 
  longer 
  stretches 
  of 
  more 
  lagoon-like 
  character. 
  Here 
  

   a 
  river 
  valley 
  is 
  more 
  noticeable 
  ; 
  the 
  river 
  forms 
  the 
  deepest 
  part 
  of 
  

   a 
  trough 
  representing 
  the 
  broad 
  ancient 
  river 
  bed, 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  

   width 
  and 
  some 
  50 
  to 
  75 
  feet 
  in 
  depth. 
  From 
  Huron 
  to 
  Mitchell 
  

   the 
  river 
  has 
  a 
  fall 
  of 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  75 
  miles 
  (Todd 
  and 
  Hall)." 
  

  

  At 
  Huron 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  of 
  mussels 
  were 
  found, 
  hsted 
  in 
  order 
  

   of 
  apparent 
  abundance: 
  

  

  Anodonta 
  grandis, 
  floater, 
  48 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Symphynota 
  complanata, 
  white 
  heel-splitter, 
  30 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Lampsilis 
  luteola, 
  fat 
  mucket, 
  8 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Quadrula 
  undulata, 
  three-ridge, 
  7 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Lampsilis 
  ventricosa, 
  pocketbook, 
  5 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Quadrula 
  coccinea, 
  sometimes 
  called 
  "flat 
  niggerhead," 
  2 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  percentages 
  stated 
  are 
  based 
  upon 
  a 
  count 
  of 
  shells 
  in 
  a 
  pile 
  

   left 
  by 
  a 
  pearl 
  fisher. 
  

  

  Even 
  the 
  better 
  shells 
  here 
  are 
  too 
  light 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  

   effective 
  commercial 
  use, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  learned 
  that 
  fishing 
  for 
  pearls 
  

   was 
  prosecuted 
  at 
  certain 
  times 
  by 
  itinerant 
  pearlers. 
  

  

  a 
  Todd, 
  J. 
  E., 
  and 
  Hall, 
  C. 
  M.: 
  Geology 
  and 
  water 
  resources 
  of 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  James 
  River 
  VaUey, 
  

   South 
  Dakota. 
  Water 
  Supply 
  and 
  Irrigation 
  Paper 
  no. 
  90^ 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  

   1904. 
  

  

  