Magnitude and Frequency of Floods in the United States Part 6-A. Missouri River Basin above Sioux Cit'% Iowa By JAMES L. PATTERSON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1679 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1966 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. GS 64-192 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract _________________________________________ 1 Introduction _______________________________ 1 Purpose and scope_________________________ 1 Acknowledgments ________________________ _ 3 Application of flood-frequency data_____________________ _ 3 Regional application_____________________________ _ 4 Special application______________________________ 7 Streams affected by regulation or diversion________________ 11 Description of the area__________ ____________ _ 12 River basins____________________________________ 12 Topography ____________________________________ 12 Climate ______________________________________ 13 Flood-frequency analysis______________________________ 13 Method of analysis_______________________________ 13 Records used___________________________________ 14 Flood frequency at a gaging station___________________.__ 14 Types of flood series_____________________ 14 Flood-frequency curves___________________ 15 Regional flood frequency______________________________ 17 Mean annual flood__________________________ 17 Composite frequency curves_______________________ 17 Summary __________________________________________ 18 Flood records at gaging stations and miscellaneous sites__________ 18 Maximum known floods____________________________ 20 Missouri River main stem_________________________ 59 Red Rock River at Kennedy Ranch, near Lakeview, Mont_____ 59 Sheep Creek basin________________________________ 59 Sheep Creek below Muddy Creek, near Dell, Mont________ 59 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 60 Red Rock River near Dell, Mont_____________________ 60 Horse Prairie Creek basin__________________________ 61 Horse Prairie Creek near Grant, Mont_________________ 61 Grasshopper Creek basin___________________________ 61 Grasshopper Creek near Dillon, Mont_________________ 61 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 62 Beaverhead River at Barratts, Mont_________________- 62 Blacktail Creek basin_____________________________ 63 Blacktail Creek near Dillon, Mont___________________ 63 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 64 Beaverhead River tributary No. 2 near Dillon, Mont______ 64 Beaverhead River at Blaine, Mont___________________ 64 Ruby River 'basin_________________________________ 65 Ruby River above Warm Springs Creek, near Alder, Mont____ 65 Ruby River above reservoir, near Alder, Mont____________ 66 in IV CONTENTS Flood records at gaging stations and miscellaneous sites Continued Ruby River basin Continued Page Ruby River at damsite, near Alder, Mont___ 67 Ruby River near Alder, Mont____________ ___ 67 Ruby River at Laurin, Mont_____________________ 68 Ruby River below Ramshorn Creek, near Sheridan, Mont_____ 68 Ruby River near Twin Bridges, Mont________________ 69 Big Hole River basin_______________________________ 69 Big Hole River near Jackson, Mont__________________ 69 Miner Creek near Jackson, Mont__________________ 70 Trail Creek near Wisdom, Mont___________________ 70 Big Hole River near Melrose, Mont_________ _____ 71 Birch Creek near Glen, Mont_____________-_______ 72 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 73 Jefferson River near Twin Bridges, Mont______________ 73 Jefferson River near Silverstar, Mont__________ ___ 73 Fish Greek basin_______________________________ 74 Fish Creek near Silverstar, Mont__________________- 74 Pipestone Creek basin___________________________ 74 Little Pipestone Creek near Whitehall, Mont___________ 74 Unnamed basin________________________________ 75 Jefferson River tributary No. 2 near Whitehall, Mont ____ 75 Boulder River basin_____________________________ 75 Boulder River above Rock Creek, near Basin, Mont________ 75 Boulder River near Boulder, Mont_____________-___ 76 South Boulder River basin__________________________ 77 South Boulder River near Jefferson Island, Mont_________ 77 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 77 Jefferson River at Sappington, Mont________________ 77 Willow Creek basin_____________________________ 78 Willow Oreek near Harrison, Mont___________ ___ 78 Norwegian Creek near Harrison, Mont_________________ 79 Willow Creek near Wallow Greek, Mont_______________ 79 Madison River basin_____________________________ 80 Madison River near West Yellowstone, Mont____________ 80 Madison River near Gameron, Mont _ _ 81 Madison River below Cherry Creek, near Norris, Mont 81 Madison River near Three Forks, Mont_________ _ 82 Gallatin River basin_______________________ ___ 82 Taylor Creek near Grayling, Mont_______ 82 Squaw Creek near Gallatin Gateway, Mont_____ __ 83 Logger Creek near Gallatin Gateway, Mont_ 83 Gallatin River near Gallatin Gateway, Mont 84 Gallatin River near Salesville, Mont_______ 85 East Gallatin River near Bozeman, Mont_____ 85 Bear Canyon Creek near Bozeman, Mont___ 86 East Gallatin River at Bozeman, Mont____ 86 Bridger Creek near Bozeman, Mont _ 87 Hyalite Creek at Hyalite ranger station, near Bozeman. Mont 88 Gallatin River at Logan, Mont__________ 89 Missouri River main stem________ 90 Missouri River at Toston, Mont________ 90 Crow Creek basin_____________________ 90 Crow Creek near Radersburg, Mont_ _ 90 CONTENTS V Flood records at gaging stations and miscellaneous sites Continued Page Deep Creek basin___________________________________ 91 Deep Creek below North Fork Deep Creek, near Townsend, Mont_ 91 Missouri Biver main stem_____ _ ________________ 91 Missouri River near Townsend, Mont_________________ 91 Spokane Creek basin_____________________________ 91 Mitchell Gulch near East Helena, Mont________________ 91 Prickly Pear Creek basin___________________________ 92 Lump Gulch Creek at Zastrow's ranch, near Clancy, Mont____ 92 Prickly Pear Creek near Clancy, Mont________________ 92 Prickly Pear Creek at East Helena, Mont_______________ 93 Tenmile Creek near Rimini, Mont___________________ 94 Little Porcupine Creek tributary near Helena, Mont-__ ___ 95 Tenmile Creek near Helena, Mont ________________ ___ 96 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 96 Missouri River below Hauser Lake Dam, near Helena, Mont__ 96 Missouri River below Holter Dam, near Wolf Creek, Mont___ 97 Little Prickly Pear Creek basin______________________ 97 Little Prickly Pear Creek near Marysville, Mont_________ 97 Little Prickly Pear Creek near Canyon Creek, Mont________ 98 Lyons Creek near Wolf Creek, Mont__________________ 98 Dearborn River basin_____________________________ 99 Dearborn River near demons, Mont__________________ 99 Dearborn River near Craig, Mont____________________ 100 Missouri River main stem___________________________ - 100 Missouri River at Cascade, Mont____________________ 100 Smith River basin________________________________ 101 Smith River near White Sulphur Springs, Mont_______ 101 Newland Creek near White Sulphur Springs, Mont____ 101 Newland Creek near damsite, near White Sulphur Springs, Mont_ 102 Nuggett Creek near Neihart, Mont__________________ 102 Sheep Creek near White Sulphur Springs, Mont______ _ _ 102 Smith River near Eden, Mont______________________ 103 Goodman Coulee near Eden, Mont____________ 104 Smith River at Truly, Mont_______________________ 104 Missouri River main stem___________________ 105 Missouri River near Ulm, Mont_____________ 105 Sun River basin__________________________________ 105 North Fork Sun River near Augusta, Mont_________ 105 Beaver Creek at Gibson Dam, near Augusta, Mont____ 106 Sun River near Augusta, Mont____________ 106 Willow Creek near Augusta, Mont__ _ 107 Smith Creek near Augusta, Mont____________ 108 Ford Creek near Augusta, Mont_________ 108 Smith Creek below Ford Creek, near Augusta, Mont_ 109 Elk Creek at Augusta, Mont_______________________- 109 Sun River at Fort Shaw, Mont_______________________ 110 Sun River at Sun River, Mont_________________ 110 Muddy Creek at Vaughn, Mont_______________ 111 Sun River near Vaughn, Mont______________ 111 Sun River tributary near Great Falls, Mont________ 112 Missouri River main stem___________________ 113 Missouri River near Great Falls, Mont_________ 113 VI CONTENTS Flood records at gaging stations and miscellaneous sites Continued Page Belt Creek basin_________________________________ 113 Belt Creek near Monarch, Mont____________________ 113 Missouri River main stem___________________________ 114 Missouri River at Fort Benton, Mont_________________ 114 Marias River basin________________________________ 115 Two Medicine Creek near Browning, Mont_______________ 115 Badger Creek near Browning, Mont___________________ 115 Badger Creek near Family, Mont____________________ 116 Birch Creek near Dupuyer, Mont___________________ 116 Dupuyer Creek near Valier, Mont___________________ 117 Cut Bank Creek near Browning, Mont_______________ 118 Cut Bank Creek at Cut Bank, Mont__________________ 118 Marias River near Shelby, Mont_____________________ 119 Dry Fork Marias River at Fowler, Mont_______________ 120 Willow Creek near Devon, Mont___________________ 121 Marias River near Brinkman, Mont_________________ 121 Dry Fork Coulee tributary near Loma, Mont___________ 122 Marias River