Mississippi

Mississippi is the largest river in North America and the main freshwater artery of the United States. The long water stream originates in the Great Lakes region in the north of the country, crosses 10 states and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. On the banks of the Mississippi are located lively cities, famous national parks, numerous monuments reflecting the historical path of the formation of the United States.

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Video: Mississippi River

Contents

Highlights

‘ United States and foreign countries. The river receives hundreds of small tributaries and a number of huge tributaries from the right and left banks. From space, they look like stalwart branches of a genealogical tree, rooted by hundreds of channels in a delta that stretches 400 kilometers along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. From there, the Mississippi rises in a mighty blue trunk to the north, dividing North America into West and East.

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The main stream of the Mississippi is commonly divided into three regions:

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  • Upper – from the source to the mouth of the Missouri River;
  • Middle – from the confluence of the Missouri River to the confluence with the Ohio River;
  • Lower – from the Ohio River to the Mississippi Delta on the Gulf Coast.
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Tourists view the beauty of the Mississippi from the decks of comfortable cruise ships traveling from the lower reaches to the upstream city of Minneapolis. There is another way to experience life on the great river in detail – take a road trip along the Great River Road tourist route, which follows the highways that run along the riverbed.

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History of the Mississippi River

In prehistory, the Mississippi basin was inhabited by native Indian tribes who hunted, fished, and gathered fruit. In ancient times, a civilization of “mound builders” existed on the banks of the river. The oldest earthen pyramid, erected about 5,500 years ago, is preserved at the Watson Brake archaeological location in Louisiana.

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‘ London of the time. Judging from the defensive ramparts surrounding Cahokia, the development covered an area of 16 km². The ancient city was probably destroyed by the catastrophic flooding of the Mississippi around 1300. The remains of the monumental earthen structures can be viewed at the archaeological park located near present-day St. Louis in southwestern Illinois. The local museum contains artifacts that testify to the distinctive Native American culture.

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The first Europeans to reach the banks of the Mississippi were conquistadors from the Spanish adventurer Don Hernando de Soto’s band, who traveled deep into the uncharted continent from Florida. Chroniclers report that this occurred on May 8, 1541. The Algonquin Indian guides called the river Misi-ziibi, meaning “Big Water.” The name was recorded on the map of the march in a garbled form – Rio Missisipi. The wide river was a serious obstacle for the expedition, but de Soto’s men built large barques in a month and still made it across to the west bank.

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‘ France, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, sold Louisiana, centered on the Mississippi River, to the United States of America. Under the terms of the Treaty of Washington, Louisiana, an area of 2,100,000 km² was purchased by the U.S. government at 3 cents per acre, totaling $15 million. Under the same treaty, the Americans withdrew from some northern territories later incorporated into the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

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During the Civil War of 1861-1865, the seizure of control of the Mississippi by Union forces of the northern states led by Abraham Lincoln was a turning point on the road to victory for the Northerners over southern Confederate forces.

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The riverbed still serves today as the historical and geographic watershed of the eastern and western parts of the U.S. territory. It is not uncommon for tour guides to tell tourists about regional landmarks, “You are looking at the tallest building east of the Mississippi” or “We are at the oldest trapper settlement west of the Mississippi.”

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The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi was erected in 1856 – between Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. River steamboat captains feared railroad competition and opposed the construction. They pointed out that the bridge crossing supports posed a danger to commercial shipping. Indeed, two weeks after the bridge opened, the cargo wheel steamer Effie Afton crashed into the abutment and burned to death. The River Captains Association demanded that the bridge be demolished, but the court upheld the railroads’ rights to the crossing.

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Today, the banks of the Mississippi are connected by more than three dozen bridges, and the channel is crossed by numerous powerhouse dams with lock systems. Still, busy navigation continues, with river traffic playing a significant role in the nation’s economy. The Mississippi Delta is home to the largest port complex in the United States, extending 277 kilometers upstream from the Gulf of Mexico along both banks of the river and in the parallel shipping channels built. Up to 6,000 ships pass through the Port of New Orleans each year. On the great river annually transported 500 million tons of various cargoes, through the river ports of the Mississippi for export most of the grain grown by farmers in the U.S.

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%’ A 1681 map of Mississippi compiled during the Marquette and Jolly expedition

Geography

The Mississippi carries its waters in a meridional direction from north to south for 3,770 kilometers, it flows through 10 U.S. states and empties into the Gulf of Mexico of the Atlantic Ocean. The mighty river’s total watershed covers 3,200,000 km² and includes 32 U.S. states and two southern Canadian provinces, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. This watershed is one of the largest on the planet, second only to the Amazon and Congo watersheds.

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‘ The source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca.https://trevaladvisor.com/img%img/Missisipireterte/Pervyy-most-_i-edinstvennyy-brevenchatyy-most-_-cherez-Missisipi_-primerno-v-25-futakh-k-yugu-ot-ee-istoka-na-ozere-Itaska.jpg” alt=””/>” The first bridge (and the only log bridge ) over the Mississippi, about 25 feet south of its source at Lake Itasca ..

From its source to its mouth, the Mississippi flows across the plains. The speed of the water flow is about 2 km/h, which is comparable to a leisurely walk for a pedestrian. A traveler who wished to take a boat on the lazy current from the Mississippi’s source to the Gulf of Mexico would reach his goal in 90 days.

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The Ohio River (1,580 km) is the Mississippi’s most powerful left tributary by drainage, and one of its largest right tributaries is the Arkansas River (2,364 km). But the longest western tributary of the Mississippi is the Missouri River (3767 km), originating in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. By the way, some geographers consider the Missouri-Mississippi system to be the true extent of the Mississippi proper, in which case its length increases to 6,275 km.

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%’ https://trevaladvisor.com/img%img/Missisipireterte/Reka-Missisipi-v-meste-sliyaniya-s-rekoy-Missuri-k-severu-ot-Sent_Luisa..jpg” alt=””/>%’ The Mississippi River at its confluence with the Missouri River north of St. Louis.

Yet the recognized source of the Mississippi River is believed to be the small glacial Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. An ancient glacier, which melted about 10,000 years ago, left here long clay moraines, picturesque piles of giant boulders, hundreds of small lakes and swampy lowlands. Three landscape geographic zones of North America meet in this remarkable region: the Great Western Plains (prairies), southern hardwood forests, and northern coniferous taiga with birch and aspen groves.

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‘ USA. Rare species of trees are found here, including balsam fir and red pine, the symbol of Minnesota. The forests are home to many white-tailed deer, ferocious black bears, coyotes, and porcupines. Numerous colonies of beavers live in the streams, building dams from branches and tree trunks.

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The ichthyofauna of the Mississippi is extensive and diverse. The river is home to 375 species of fish, there are alligators and turtles. In the coastal village of Genoa, in the state of Wisconsin, operates a large farm for breeding valuable fish. Millions of sturgeon, catfish, and trout fry are released annually from its backwaters into the Mississippi River. There are such fish hatcheries in other states neighboring the river.

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The vast Mississippi Valley, whose soils are made up of river silt, is one of the most fertile regions of the United States.

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‘ The United States, established in the early 19th century. Over the past 200 years, hundreds of kilometers of retaining walls, stone embankments, and levees have been built along the banks of the Mississippi, protecting the low-lying clay banks from flooding and collapse. Especially many engineering structures are located in the lower reaches of the river. There are lakes and marshy old rivers, winding meanders. These are the traces of the old riverbed.

At 200 kilometers from its confluence with the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi splits into several branches, forming a vast river delta covering an area of 75,000 km². Using orbiting satellite scanners, hydrologists have found that the river’s mouth has moved radically along the seacoast at least 9 times in the last 5000 years. The modern delta was formed around the 10th century. In this case, the Mississippi carries hundreds of millions of tons of silt, sand and soil particles into the gulf, annually moving into the sea by about 100 m. As a result, islands, long spits and underwater shoals are formed near the shallow coast. To ensure navigation in the delta, work is constantly carried out to deepen the fairways for the movement of merchant ships.

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‘ Mississippi River Delta
‘ Mississippi River Delta from satellite

Climate and weather

On its long journey across the expanse of the North American continent, the Mississippi River crosses several climate zones. During the winter months, Arctic air currents from Canada enter the upper river. From December to February there are not infrequent heavy snowfalls, blizzards, air temperature drops to -20 ° C, and the surface of the Mississippi disappears under the ice cover. But already in early spring Pacific trade winds and southern wind from the Gulf of Mexico bring warm weather to the sources of the Mississippi. From June to September the air warms up to +23…+26 °С.

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Crossing the belt of continental climate, the Mississippi heads south and reaches the Gulf of Mexico, where humid tropical weather reigns all year round. Summers in the lower reaches of the river are long and hot, with frequent thunderstorm rains and tornadoes several times a year. From the end of May to the middle of September air temperature fluctuates within +22…+28 °С, often strong heat up to +33…+38 °С is registered. Winters in the region are mild, even in January and February thermometer columns very rarely fall below +4…+6 ° C, the usual temperature in winter is +10…+12 ° C.

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In late summer – early fall in the area of the mouth and lower reaches of the Mississippi comes the season of cyclones and tropical storms formed over the Atlantic Ocean. During this period, storm winds drive seawater dozens of kilometers up the river. In the memory of the present generations, the most destructive was the Category 5 hurricane Katrina (August 2005). The wind speed reached 280 kilometers per hour. The damage from the natural disaster amounted to more than 125 billion dollars, 1836 people died. Especially affected was the city of New Orleans, flooded by the waters of the Mississippi.

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‘ Sunset over the Mississippi in Kentucky
” Mississippi River in January, Iowa

Mississippi River Attractions

A great way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the great river is to take a cruise on a liner styled like an old-fashioned steamboat. But dynamic Americans prefer to travel behind the wheel, hitching a cozy sleeping van on wheels to the car’s towbar. With your own mini-hotel with a gas stove and a supply of groceries, you can stay overnight in any scenic spot.

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‘ The United States has had a wonderful travel project for motorized travelers, the Great River Road, in operation since 1938. The road starts at the source of the river in Itasca Park in Minnesota and leads south to the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana. The 3,329-kilometer-long route follows federal and state highways. They stretch along the riverbed, crossing the Mississippi several times on bridges to visit cities and national parks on the right and left banks. Green banners depicting the steering wheel of a river steamboat are placed along the entire route to point tourists in the right direction. The tour’s slogan outlining its geography, Canada to Gulf, is also inscribed here.

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It usually takes 6 to 14 days to make a self-guided road trip along the Mississippi. The Great River Road map has over a hundred recommended sights to see.

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Interesting Places

The eastern shores of the river are the administrative boundaries of the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The west coast serves as a natural cordon for Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, and the state territories of Minnesota and Louisiana lie on both banks of the broad channel of the Mississippi.

State of Minnesota

Itasca Nature Park, where the tiny source of the Mississippi River is located, attracts about 500,000 tourists each year. Fishing is allowed here, bicycle and canoe rentals, horseback riding, and picnics are available. In winter, the park is used for skiing and snowmobiling. Camping sites are built for tourists, information centers, restaurants, souvenir stores. There is also a student campus of the Biology Department of the University of Minnesota.

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The pier at the small town of Grand Rapids, named after a 6-kilometer-long series of rapids in the Mississippi River channel, was once the northernmost wharf for river steamboats. Now the rapids are hidden under a reservoir behind a dam.

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‘ Grand Rapids.

In Grand Rapids, the Forest History Center is worth a visit. A ticket will cost $10. Here, log cabins of loggers’ camps of the XIX-XX centuries are recreated, tools, various machines, and forest firefighting equipment are exhibited. Walks along forest trails accompanied by rangers, observation of animals and birds from inconspicuous cabins are offered. The center’s store sells wood souvenirs such as hockey sticks, baseball bats, kitchen sets, and toys. You can buy a bottle of natural maple syrup for baking, a package of wild rice growing in the floodplain marshes.

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There are golf courses around the city, hunting cottages in the woods, and fishing shelters on the coast. In the winter, there are dog sled races.

In the city of Little Falls was born Charles Lindbergh, an outstanding American aviator, who first made a non-stop flight from New York to Paris in May 1929. On a single-engine airplane Spirit of St. Louis pilot covered a distance of 5800 km, the flight lasted 33 hours. 30 minutes. In the mansion, where Lindberg spent his childhood, an interesting museum is organized. Noteworthy are the city’s Art Center with an art gallery. A couple of kilometers north of the city, on the high bank of the Mississippi, is the historic Fort Ripley, built in the 40-ies of the XIX century. There is an exposition of the Minnesota Military Museum.

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‘ The dam in Little Falls.
‘ Bridge over the Mississippi

There are several hotels in small Little Falls. The best local hotels are Country Inn & Suites by Radisson 2* ($109-145 per night), AmericInn by Wyndham Little Falls 2* ($80-112).

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For a breakfast of pancakes or scrambled eggs with bacon you can go to Perkins Restaurant & Bakery for $10-12. For dinner you should go to the Mexican restaurant Little Fiesta. The average check is $25-$30 per person.

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State of Illinois

In Illinois, signs along the Great River Road will lead travelers to Black Hawk (Black Hawk) State Park. This is the name of another legendary leader of the Redskins. The park offers hiking trails, picnic areas, and porches with barbecue fireplaces. In the building of the old guard fort there is a museum exposition, in front of the entrance there is a monument to the Indian chief.

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6 km from the village of Prairie du Rocher is located stone fortress Fort de Chartres, built by French colonists in the XVIII century to protect against Indian attacks. The fort has a museum and a souvenir store. In June, thousands of tourists come here to watch grand costumed reenactments of battles between the French garrison and Indian warriors.

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‘ Black Hawk State Park
‘ Entrance to Fort de Chartres

State of Missouri

At the confluence of the full-flowing Missouri River into the Mississippi River stands the city of St. Louis, founded by French fur traders in the mid-18th century. In this region begins a belt of humid subtropics, not uncommon thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods.

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On the city’s waterfront on the west bank of the Mississippi rises a colossal arch – Gateway Arch (Gateway Arch). It was erected in 1965 as a symbolic gateway to the expansion of American pioneers in the Wild West, who set out for unknown lands from St. Louis. The height of the stainless steel structure is 192 meters, the tallest arch in the world. The structure has an internal elevator that takes tourists to a viewing balcony with windows. From there, the view of the expanse of the Mississippi River is stunning.

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‘ The Steel Arch on the banks of the Mississippi is a symbol of St. Louis

Another St. Louis landmark is the Chain of Rocks Bridge. The “crooked” highway bridge over the Mississippi River leads into the state of Missouri. At the height of its construction in the late 1920s, grumpy river captains sued the project and engineers were forced to turn the half-built bridge’s right-of-way 22°, doubling the project’s cost. A new bridge crossing was built upstream in 1966, and the dilapidated boomerang-curved Rocks Bridge is now only navigable by foot or bicycle.

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‘ Chain of Rocks Bridge
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St. Louis has many other attractions, interesting museums and galleries of modern art, architectural monuments worthy of travelers’ attention. It’s worth setting aside a few days to see them. You can stay in one of the city’s 200 hotels. Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis 3* is located a stone’s throw away from the famous arch. The cost of a daily stay here is 126-179 $. The view of the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River opens from the rooms of Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch 4*. Louis at The Arch 4*. Here the price range is $119-222.

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In 160 km northwest of St. Louis, on the right bank of the Mississippi River, is the provincial town of Hannibal. Famed journalist and author Semuel Clemens spent his childhood here. As a young man he worked as a pilot on the Mississippi. Conducting ships through the shoals, the pilot lowered a lot into the water and succinctly reported to the skipper: “mark twain” (double mark), which meant an unobstructed passage over the shoal. Thus was born the pseudonym of Clemens, who became world-famous as Mark Twain. His narrative of the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn on the banks of the Mississippi, critics unanimously called one of the great American novels, reflecting the spirit of the formation of the nation. And the eminent writer William Faulkner considered Mark Twain the father of true American literature.

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Hannibal is home to the Mark Twain Memorial House, a gift store, and many places associated with his literary heroes – for example, the cave where Tom and Becky Thatcher got lost. A three-deck Mark Twain paddle steamer, built in 1963 according to old blueprints, awaits tourists at the pier on the city’s quay. The vintage steamer has a restaurant and a bar, cabins for 350 passengers. From April through early November, the ship takes daytime sightseeing cruises on the Mississippi River, lasting 1 hour and costing $23 per person. In the evenings, a two-hour cruise with dinner on board is available at 6:30 p.m. for $49.95. In the colors of sunset over the waters of the Mississippi, dancing and other entertainment is provided on deck.

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In 2000, the list of local attractions associated with Mark Twain’s name was expanded. A new 1,369-foot bridge over the Mississippi, named after the writer, the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge, opened in Hannibal.

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‘ Mark Twain’s house in Hannibale.
‘ Mark Twain Memorial Bridge

State of Tennessee

On the left bank of the Mississippi River, at the confluence of the Wolf River, is the city of Memphis, which is among the largest economic centers in the United States. Memphis is also known as the birthplace of rock and roll, an energetic musical movement that emerged in the 1950s. Elvis Presley, the megastar of American pop music, lived here for most of his life. Graceland Manor is home to the iconic singer’s mansion, which opened to the public in 1982.

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Memphis is also home to one of the best interactive museums introducing tourists to local musical styles that have become global brands, the Stax Museum Of American Soul Music.

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‘ Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis
‘ Stax Museum Of American Soul Music

State of Louisiana

A fascinating journey comes to an end in Louisiana. Approaching the mouth of the Mississippi, travelers pass dozens of miles of port facilities and enter New Orleans, one of the most vibrant cities in the United States, the birthplace of jazz and melancholy blues.

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The spirit of this cosmopolitan city is centered in the famous French Quarter, with its many restaurants and stores. It’s home to a host of music clubs and bars, where many of the talented musicians and singers who conquered America began their stage careers. Among them are Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday.

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‘ New Orleans.
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‘ Swamps in the Mississippi River Delta

Mississippi River Cruises

Mississippi River cruises are offered by several companies, the largest being American Cruise Lines. It owns a fleet of comfortable ocean and river cruise ships built from 2005 through 2022. You can travel on the great river on recreated 5-deck old Victorian era steamers with propeller wheels. They take tourists into the atmosphere of the century before last. These are the swankiest ships on the Mississippi. On all ships, travelers will find cabins and restaurants of a five-star floating hotel.

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The cost of an 8-day cruise on the Mississippi is $3,925-$4,425, which is well within the reach of the average American. There are also 22-day cruises offered from New Orleans to Minneapolis in Minnesota, separated by 1,735 kilometers. For such an extended trip, you’ll have to pay from $15,935.

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Local cuisine

The lower Mississippi River has given rise to a quirky cuisine that has combined the flavors of many cultures and peoples. The gastronomy of Mississippi, or Southern cuisine as it is known in the United States, blends the preferences of African settlers and Caribbean Creoles, Mediterranean masters and refined French cooking. River fish (catfish, trout, pikeperch) and a variety of seafood caught in the Gulf of Mexico are prominent.

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‘ Memphis (Tennessee) near the town of Millington is home to Old Millington Vineyard and Winery. Here they make beautiful grape dry and semi-sweet wines with floral aftertastes, flavorful Muscats and aged Ports. Experience the unusual taste of sweet wines made from fruits and berries – plums, peaches, strawberries and even watermelons. For the winter holidays it is worth buying a bottle of red Cranberry Christmas. A bottle of local wine will cost between $12 and $20. A tasting of 4 wines of the visitor’s choice will cost $5.

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‘ Ships in the lower Mississippi

How to get there

It is convenient for international travelers to reach the many cities along the banks of the Mississippi through the international airports of Washington, D.C., or Chicago, from where you can fly to almost anywhere in the U.S.

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The largest airport on the upper Mississippi River is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to hundreds of domestic flights, the airport receives airliners from Paris, Amsterdam, and Mexico City.

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In the middle reaches of the Mississippi, visitors are welcomed by the airport in St. Louis, Missouri. Lufthansa sends direct flights here from Hamburg, and Air Canada Express from Toronto. St. Louis has another large airport, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. It is focused only on domestic passenger air travel and receiving private planes.

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Travelers wishing to visit the tropics of the Mississippi Delta head to Louis Armstrong New Orleans New Orleans International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana. British Airways flies here non-stop from London Heathrow Airport.

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