In the past, these rivers were important highways traversing the west. The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition passed this location on their way west in April 1805. There is a museum run by North Dakota Historical Society that is worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.
The confluence of these two large rivers is not easy to photograph from the ground, at least not in a manner that makes it interesting. This was made more difficult by the smoke haze that plagued this trip.
The confluence is not far from Williston, often considered the epicenter of the Bakken oil development. Nearby major highways are heavy with oil field truck traffic and there are a number of oil wells in the area (based on GIS map data).
Oil and Water 