Steamboats on the Missouri and Red Rivers once made travel much easier. Of course, the steamboats had to be taken out of the water for the winter but the rivers were still used for travel.
Travelers simply took to what became known as ice roads. It was often easier to travel on the frozen rivers than on rudimentary trails covered in snow. Ice also made fording rivers much simpler, there was no need to wait for a ferry or pay for the trip. In some ways, winter actually made travel easier.
But that didn’t mean ice roads were foolproof. While frozen rivers opened up new routes, travelers had to pay close attention to ice conditions. Thickness varied. The edges froze faster than the middle. Air temperatures could harden or weaken the ice. The ice was also weaker where it formed around submerged objects like tree stumps.
In 1900, the Courier Democrat warned readers that “The Red River is said to have the poorest ice this season ever known,” cautioning that it was especially dangerous for heavily laden wagons trying to cross. That same year, the Bismarck Daily Tribune reported that the Missouri had frozen in November, and the first crossing had already been made.
As horse-drawn vehicles gave way to automobiles, North Dakotans continued using the ice for travel.
On this date in 1925, newspapers reported that two men drowned when their vehicle broke through the ice and landed upside down in the Missouri River. It wasn’t clear exactly why they were driving on the river. They might have taken that route deliberately or simply made a wrong turn and ended up there by accident. Whatever the reason, their car went through just four inches of ice. A man who lived nearby heard the crash and contacted authorities in Bismarck.
Today, with modern roads, there’s little temptation to use rivers as ice roads. But North Dakotans still venture out on the ice, especially for ice fishing, when conditions are right.
Still, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not recommend driving on frozen lakes or rivers. Ice thickness can vary suddenly and without warning.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Two Men Are Drowned in Missouri River.” Bismarck ND. 11/13/1925. Page 1.
- Bismarck Daily Tribune. “The City.” Bismarck ND. 12/20/1900. Page 2.
- Courier Democrat. “North Dakota State News.” Langdon ND. 12/20/1900. Page 2.
- The Dakotan. “Early Ice Awareness.” https://mydakotan.com/2022/11/early-ice-awareness/Accessed 10/6/2025.
- US Army Corps of Engineers. “Winter ice access in ND comes with regulations and safety warnings.” https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/Article/560028/winter-ice-access-in-nd-comes-with-regulations-and-safety-warnings/Accessed 10/6/2025.
