Artists Libby Reuter and Joshua Rowan create Watershed Cairns: Water Marked with Art throughout the Mississippi/ Missouri river basin. They temporarily place and photograph found-glass sculptures, or cairns, to draw attention to fresh water on land ,streams, and rivers.
These images mark Missouri River’s path from the Centennial Mountains in Montana into North Dakota. The journey continues in Missouri River 2, following the Missouri to its confluence with the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri.
First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, near Great Falls, Montana—July, 2017
47°29’43”N 111°32’54”W—Elevation 3,840 ft.
The Crystal cairn reflects the setting sun at the edge of the First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, northwest of the Missouri River.
First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, near Great Falls, Montana—July, 2017
47°29’43”N 111°32’54”W—Elevation 3,840 ft.
The Crystal cairn reflects the setting sun at the edge of the First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, northwest of the Missouri River.
Hardy Bridge in the Big Belt Mountains, near Cascade, Montana—July, 2017
47°09’59”N 111°50’01”W—Elevation 3,370 ft.
The steel truss bridge spanning the Missouri River on old US Route 91 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
Glacier National Park, Montana—July, 2017
48°29’19”N 113°22’03”W—Elevation 5,180 ft.
The Green-gold cairn is resting in a campground between Pray Lake and the larger Two Medicine Lake.
Glacier National Park, Montana—July 2017
48°41’50”N 113°41’34”W—Elevation 6,220 ft.
This cairn marks the Continental Divide, the high places where water on different sides of the mountain flow in two distinct watersheds.
Glacier National Park, Montana—July 2017
48°42’05”N 113°43’04”W—Elevation 6,340 ft.
This cairn marks the Continental Divide, the high places where water on different sides of the mountain flow in two distinct watersheds, or basins.
Near Fort Benton, Montana—July, 2017
47°48’54”N 110°42’34”W—Elevation 2,920 ft.
This cairn sits on the Lewis and Clark Trail. Not an actual road, but a series of historical markers based on the journals that Meriwether Louis and William Clark kept of their journey to explore the new Louisiana Territory and find a route to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s This site is about 15 miles downstream from where the Maria’s River, a major tributary, enters the Missouri River.
Loma, Montana—July 2017
47°55’55”N 110°30’20”W—Elevation 2,590 ft.
This cairn stands on private property near the confluence of the Teton and Maria’s rivers in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers area.
Big Sandy Conservation District, Montana—July 2017
47°44’18”N 109°37’33”W—Elevation 2,400 ft.
On the Judith River, looking west toward the bridge. July 4, 2017
Big Sandy Conservation Area, Montana—July 2017
47°44’18”N 109°37’33”W[WR1] —Elevation 2,400 ft.
On the Judith River, looking east.
Near Winifred, Montana—July 2017
47°28’05”N 109°21’14”W—Elevation 3,380 ft.
A six-foot-tall, white glass cairn stands on the loading dock of an old wooden grain elevator.
Little Rocky Mountains, Missouri Breaks, near Zortner, Montana—July 2017
47°48’35”N 108°36’32”W—Elevation 3,270 ft.
This image was created after the fire in the Little Rocky Mountains had been burning for 19 hours. It would burn for days and consume 10,000 acres.
Little Rocky Mountains, Missouri Breaks, near Zortner, Montana—July 2017
47°50’32”N 108°30’07”W—Elevation 3,190 ft.
The red glow of the forests burning in the Little Rocky Mountains is the backdrop for a glowing white cairn.
Milk River near Hinsdale, Montana—July, 2017
48°23’54”N 107°02’52”W—Elevation 2,170 ft.
Captain Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, wrote, “From the colour of its water we called it Milk river."
Milk River, near its confluence with the Missouri River—July 2017
Nashua, Montana
48°03’34”N 106°19’06”W—Elevation 1,990 ft.
A 5-gallon jug is partially submerged in the slick, muddy water of the Milk River.
Yellowstone River—July 2017
Cartwright, North Dakota
47°5’41”N 103°57’50”W—Elevation 1,970 ft.
The Crystal cairn overlooks the Yellowstone River near a bridge at Cartwright, North Dakota, just a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Missouri River.
Tioga, North Dakota—July 2017
48°11’52”N 103°01’58”W—Elevation 1,940 ft.
Oil rigs and refineries are common throughout North Dakota.
Parshall, North Dakota—July 2017
47°52’23”N 102°07’45”W—Elevation 2,260 ft.
The field of yellow canola flowers on Highway 37 near Parshall, North Dakota, makes a joyous setting for the Geen-gold cairn.
Garrison, North Dakota—July 2017
47°29’24”N 101°23’26”W—Elevation 1,840 ft.
The waterless spillway of the fourth largest earthen dam on the planet is indicative of how dry 2017 was in the American West.
Standing Rock Indian Reservation, North Dakota—July 2017
46°24’58”N 100°38’09”W—Elevation 1,630 ft.
The False Gods cairn and the Lantern cairn face each other near the No Dakota Access Pipeline protest site.
Lake Marie, Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming—June 2017
41°19’54”N 106°19’30”W—Elevation 10,510 ft.
The stream flowing below this cairn empties into the North Platte River, just west of the Medicine Bow National Forest. The Platte is a major tributary of the Missouri River.
Lake Marie, Medicine Bow National Forest, near Laramie, Wyoming—June 2017
41°19’58”N 106°19’29”W—Elevation 10,510 ft.
An entire side of the mountain behind this translucent cairn is covered with dead Lodgepole pines.
Medicine Bow National Forest, near Laramie, Wyoming—June, 2017
41°20’10”N 106°19’8”W—Elevation 10,570 ft.
The black glass cairn named “False Gods” sits balanced in the melting snow and ice. Water from this pond drains into nearby Libby Creek, and later into the North Platte River, then the Platte River, which is a major tributary of the Missouri River.
Near Centennial, Wyoming—June 2017
41°08’02”N 106°25’07”W—Elevation 10,570 ft.
The Lantern Cairn sits balanced on a bolder in the middle of the Douglas River while fly fishermen wait for their turn at this fishing hole.
Near Centennial, Wyoming—June 2017
41°08’02”N 106°25’07”W—Elevation 10,570 ft.
Cairns are often used as memorials as well as trail markers. Here, the lantern cairn is a memorial to Ryan O’Malley’s mother.
Sinks Canyon State Park, Wyoming—June 2017
42°44’52”N 108°48’37”W—Elevation 6,420 ft.
The Popo Agie River disappears (sinks) on one side of the mountain, and reappears here.
Pilot Butte Reservoir on the Wind River Reservation—June 2017
Near Morton, Wyoming
43°11’42”N 108°45’39”W—Elevation 5,460 ft.
The Pilot Butte Reservoir on the Wind River provides water for irrigation.
Wind River Reservation, Wyoming—June 2017
42°44’54”N 108°48’34”W—Elevation 6,450 ft.
Bluffs along Sinks Canyon Road, south of Lander, Wyoming, provide the background for this green and gold cairn.
Grand Teton National Park, near Jackson Hole, Wyoming—June 2017
43°58’36”N 110°39’24”W— Elevation 6,860 ft.
The shapes of the Crystal cairn, the planes of the mountainside, and the surface of the water in Jackson Lake shimmer with reflected sunlight.
Yellowstone National Park, Montana—June 2017
44°29’11”N 110°00’46”W—Elevation 7,030 ft.
The quiet, cooler side of Yellowstone National Park has fresh, clear water in small streams that feed the Yellowstone River.
Buffalo Bill State Park, Wyoming—June 2017
Rocky Mountain Absaroka Range
44°29’45”N 109°17’57”W—Elevation 5,450 ft.
The Crystal cairn sits in a firepit next to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the Shoshone River.
Buffalo Bill Sate Park, Wyoming—June 2017
44°29’45”N 109°17’57”W—Elevation 5,450 ft.
Strong winds and heavy black clouds rushed toward the cairn on the bank of the Buffalo Bill Reservoir.
Horseshoe Bend, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Wyoming—June 2017
44°57’25”N 108°16’40”W—Elevation 3,800 ft.
The Green-gold cairn is dwarfed by the iron-red bluffs in the Wild Horse Mountain Range.
Horseshoe Bend, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Wyoming—June 2017
44°57’25”N 108°16’40”W—Elevation 3,800 ft.
The Green-gold cairn is sitting on the iron-red bluffs in the Wild Horse Mountain Range.
Horseshoe Bend,Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana—June 2017
45°01’24”N 108°15’07”W—Elevation 4,520 ft.
Canyon Overlook Road gives spectacular views of the confluence of the Bighorn River and Porcupine creek to the south
Horseshoe Bend, Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana—June 2017
45°01’24”N 108°15’07”W—Elevation 4,520 ft.
The Green-gold cairn nestles in sagebrush near the Horseshoe Bend Observation site, overlooking the Bighorn River.
Near Tongue River Reservoir State Park, Montana—June 2017
45°13’14”N 106°41’55”W—Elevation 3,380
After a rain, horses on the Diamond Cross Ranch graze on the bank of the Tongue River. The Tongue rises in Wyoming in the Bighorn Mountains, flows through northern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, then empties into the Yellowstone River at Miles City, Montana. The Yellowstone is a major tributary of the Missouri River.
Billings, Montana—June 2017
45°46’12”N 108°29’30”W—Elevation 3,110 ft.
The False Gods cairn stands over a stream leading to the Yellowstone River near this refinery in downtown Billings, Montana.
Billings, Montana—June 2017
45°46’42”N 108°29’53”W—Elevation 3,110 ft.
The False Gods cairn stands in a residential street, leading to a refinery in downtown Billings, Montana.
Pictograph Cave State Park, Four Dancers Recreation Area, Montana—June, 2017
45°44’34”N 108°26’24”W—Elevation 3,370 feet
A clear cairn poses on a sandstone boulder near three caves where prehistoric hunters left drawings on the cave walls.
Beartooth Pass, Wyoming—June 2017
45°02’37”N 109°24’26”W—Elevation 9,170 ft.
Small, fragrant wildflowers grow at the foot of this cairn that appears to touch the sky on Beartooth Highway.
Beartooth Pass, Wyoming—June 2017
44°58’32”N 108°25’37”W—Elevation 10,380 ft.
An otherworldly mist envelops the False Gods cairn in the snow, 567 feet below the summit of Beartooth Pass.
Beartooth Highway, Montana—June, 2017
44°52’38”N 110°22’53”—Elevation 10,010 ft.
Clear lakes reflect a faceted crystal cairn, viewed from the Beartooth National Scenic Byways-All American Road.
Yellowstone National Park, Montana—June 2017
44°52’44”N 110°23’21”W—Elevation 6,850 ft.
The Crystal cairn is poised on the stone wall overlooking the Yellowstone River in northeastern Yellowstone Park.
Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Montana—June 2017
44°57’55”N 110°42’45”W—Elevation 6,770 ft.
The black False Gods cairn contrasts with the white limestone terraces and the colors of the heat-loving microorganisms in Yellowstone National Park.
Hell Roaring Creek, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana—June 2017
44°35’57”N 111°33’0”W—Elevation 6,880 ft.
Water, flowing from the mountains in the background, becomes the Jefferson River that joins other rivers at the Missouri Headwaters State Park to become the Missouri River.
Missouri Headwaters State Park, Montana—July 2017
45°55’33”N 111°30’11”W—Elevation 4,180 ft.
The tallest cairn made on the Missouri River perches on the edge of a steep bluff overlooking the confluence of the Jefferson and Madison rivers.
Canyon Ferry Lake Dam, near Helena, Montana—July 2017
46°39’08”N 111°43’53”W—Elevation 3,640 ft.
This cairn posed on a picnic table with a great view of the Canyon Ferry Dam and reservoir. This dam is the second of the 15 large dams on the main stem of the Missouri River.
Fort Peck Dam
July 5, 2017, Nashua, Montana
48°00′30 ″N 106°24′01 ″W, Elevation 2,270 feet
The crystal and transparent cain rests high above the bone-dry reservoir of the tallest dam on the Missouri River, near its confluence with the Milk River. The 2017 has been the state’s driest in the past 110 years.
July 5, 2017, Saco, Montana
48°27′29 ″N 107°20′48 ″W, Elevation 2,170 feet
The broken pieces of the black False Gods Cairn sit on a beached, disintegrating pontoon boat. Situated near the corner of US2 and Dead End Road, the boat is three blocks from the shallow Milk River.
Near the Decker, Montana, coal mine
June 28, 2017
45°0′51 ″N 106°51′40 ″W, Elevation 3,470 feet
Trucks rolled by this field on their way to the Decker mine, and a gust of wind toppled and broke the top part of this cairn. As we picked up the pieces, we wondered what effect the coal mine had had on the nearby town of Birney (population 137 in 2010), on local ranchers, or on the Tongue River. The Tongue originates in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, emptying into the Yellowstone River at Miles City, Montana. The Yellowstone is a major tributary of the Missouri River.
Buffalo Bill State Park, near Cody, Wyoming
June 27, 2017
44°29′45 ″N 109°17′57 ″W , Elevation 5,450 feet
This cairn sits on the banks of the Buffalo Bill Reservoir, an 8,315-acre lake formed by the Shoshone Dam, built in 1910 at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Shoshone River. The bending grass in this photo illustrates the strong winds that blow through the canyon in the Absaroka Range making windsurfing a popular sport.
Wind River Badlands, Dubois, Wyoming, June 26, 2017
43°30′39 ″N 109°33′47 ″W , Elevation 6,860 feet
Sagebrush, fences, and endless cattle ranges straddle both sides of the road in the Wind River watershed. Irrigated fields near rivers and reservoirs are less common, but are essential for farms and ranches.