The Confluence

"A piece of land can be as fine and valuable as any masterpiece in a museum. It has been cared for by others who owned it before, and we can ensure that others will enjoy and appreciate it as we have. That is what land conservation is about."

- Dan Burkhardt

"The history of our nation is written not only by the people who lived it, but shaped by the very land itself. Many of the films I've produced have convinced me that the sheer physicality of this great continent we inhabit has played a crucial role in what kind of people and nation we became. Nowhere is this more true than in the heart of America, where two of the world's mightiest rivers - the Missouri and the Mississippi - come together. The Confluence of the Missouri and the Mississippi has a value that transcends history. It is a sanctuary for wildlife. And it is a place of beauty, a sanctuary for the soul, where we can refresh our spirits and reconnect with the natural world. Place of such significance deserve to be cherished and preserved as Theodore Roosevelt taught us, "for our children and our children's children, with their majestic beauty all unmarred."

Ken Burns - Filmmaker - Historian - Author

Our cherished home overlooking The Confluence