Coming down Minot’s north hill recently, I was again struck by the immensity of the Souris River Valley compared to the relatively small flowage of the present-day Souris River. How could that large valley have formed? The Souris River is an underfit river, sometimes called a misfit river. The river valley indicates a much larger river formed the valley in the past. Other rivers, including the Pembina, James, and Sheyenne rivers formed in a similar fashion.