Did you know? The Roe River is the World’s Shortest river

Shortest River

Montana is a state known for its vast open spaces and towering mountains. Yet, amidst its grand natural landscapes, it boasts the world’s shortest river. The Roe River measures just 201 feet long—so brief that it’s described in feet rather than miles. The Roe River flows only from Giant Springs to the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana. At its longest consistent point, the river measures just 61 meters, earning it recognition as the World’s Shortest River by the Guinness Book of World Records until the category was discontinued in 2006. Near its mouth, the Roe River reaches a depth of about 1.8 to 2.4 meters.

However, recent data identifies the Reprua River in the Gagra District of the Republic of Abkhazia as the shortest river in the world. Stretching only 18 meters, the Reprua is also known for being one of the coldest rivers along the Black Sea coast.

The Roe River owes its unique designation to a small island that separates it from the Missouri River. This feature transformed what was once a sandbar into a recognized waterway, sparking debates and adding to its intriguing history.

A sandbar is a natural landform consisting of a ridge or accumulation of sand, gravel, or other sediment that forms in bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, or oceans. Sandbars are created by water currents, tides, or waves, which deposit sediment in specific areas over time.

Also Read- Istanbul’s Unique Geography: A Tale of Two Continents

History

In 1987, a group of fifth-grade students from Lincoln Elementary School in Great Falls, under the guidance of their teacher Susie Nardlinger, launched a successful campaign to have the Roe River recognized by Guinness World Records as the shortest river in the world. At the time, the river was unnamed, so the students first petitioned the United States Board on Geographic Names to approve their suggested name, “Roe River.” Once the name was officially accepted, they submitted their proposal to Guinness.

Oregon’s D River was previously listed by Guinness World Records as the world’s shortest river, measuring 130 meters. This title was challenged in 1989 when Guinness recognized Montana’s Roe River as the shortest. Undeterred, Lincoln City residents submitted a new measurement for the D River, claiming it was only about 37 meters long at “extreme high tide.”

During the heated debate, Lincoln City’s Chamber of Commerce dismissed the Roe River as a “drainage ditch surveyed for a school project.” In response, Susie Nardlinger, the teacher behind the Roe River campaign, called the D River an “ocean water backup” and highlighted an alternate fork of the Roe measuring just 9.1 meters. She even proposed conducting a new survey to settle the matter.

Ultimately, Guinness did not issue a final ruling, leaving the Roe River’s claim intact but later opting to remove the “shortest river” category altogether—perhaps to avoid further controversy.