Mississippi River--for 19 miles 'Our River'
The Mississippi River, chief inland waterway for the U.S., runs 2,340 miles from northwestern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. But for the 19 miles that it flows along the City of St. Louis’ shoreline, it is ‘Our River.'
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Flood of '93 in St. Louis
From April-Sept '93 the River:
Was above flood stage 144 days
Reached within 2.5 feet of the top of the St. Louis floodwall
Had a peak discharge that could fill old Busch Stadium every 65 seconds |
From the early days, the Mississippi River determined much about the way St. Louisans’ lived their lives.
Early treaties used the river to define national boundaries—Spanish, French, and English. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 the United States laid claim to the land surrounding the River, including that in the St. Louis area.
Now the River became important to St. Louis more for the immigration, exploration and commercial possibilities it provided than for defining its residents’ allegiance.
My river home : a journey from the Gulf War to the Gulf of Mexico
Marcus Eriksen.
Boston : Beacon Press, c2007.
Dreaming the Mississippi
Katherine Fischer.
Columbia : University of Missouri Press, c2006.
"Offering a fresh perspective on the river's environment, industry, and recreation, Dreaming the Mississippi challenges old stereotypes through the experiences of modern Americans who work the barges, rope-swing into muddy bottoms, struggle against hurricane floodwaters, and otherwise find new meaning on this great watery corridor. In an engaging voice, earnest and energetic, Katherine Fischer describes how the river's natural and human histories overlap and interweave as she tells of her own gradual immersion in its life - which led her to buy a house so close to its banks that each spring she must open her basement doors to accept its inevitable floods. Fischer blends stories of people living along the river with accounts of national and global consequence."--BOOK JACKET.
Mostly Mississippi : a very damp adventure
Harold Speakman ; with a number of drawings by Russell Lindsay Speakman and the author.
Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 2004.
In 1925, Harold Speakman and his new wife, Frances "Russell" Lindsay Speakman, journeyed down the entire Mississippi River, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, on a twenty-foot houseboat. A classic American travel narrative that captures the soul of the river, Mostly Mississippi features lyrical descriptions of encounters with archetypal characters, landscapes, and experiences. The Speakmans meet lumberjacks in northern Minnesota and Mormons at Nauvoo, Illinois, as well as roustabouts, hoboes, farmers, drifters, Southern grandees, Native Americans, collegians thirsting for the real world, and convicts. They also meet William Alexander Percy, the "Poet of the Delta"; Laura Frazer, the inspiration for Mark Twain's Becky Thatcher; and the prototypical "lady from Dubuque" as described by the New Yorker. Illustrated by Harold Speakman's paintings and sketches and Russell Speakman's delightful drawings, Mostly Mississippi captures the deepening emotional bond of a newly married couple embarked on a grand adventure. Book jacket.
Mississippi solo : a river quest
Eddy L. Harris.
New York : Henry Holt, 1998.
Since the publication of his first book, Mississippi Solo, Eddy L. Harris has been praised for his travel writing. In this exciting reissue of his classic travelogue, readers will come to treasure the rich insightful prose that is as textured as the Mississippi River itself. They will be taken by the hand by an adventurer whose lifelong dream is to canoe the length of this mighty river, from Minnesota to New Orleans. The trip's dangers were legion for a Black man traveling alone, paddling from "where there ain't no black folks to where they still don't like us much." Barge waives loom large, wild dogs roam the wooded shores, and, in the Arkansas dusk, two shotgun-toting bigots nearly bring the author's dream to a bloody . Sustaining him through the hard weeks of paddling were the hundreds of people who reached out to share a small piece of his challenge. Mississippi Solo is a big, rollicking, brilliant book, a wonderful piece of American adventure, and an unforgettable story of a man testing his own limits.
St. Louis’ strategic location on the River, seemingly on the line between north and south, influenced the City’s role in the Civil War. From the riverfront, troops and supplies moved between battlefields.
Following the Civil War railroads replaced much of the river commerce. Still today St. Louis remains the busiest inland port on the Mississippi River, and the third busiest inland port in the U.S. About 32 million tons of cargo is handled yearly.
Today the opportunity for adventure and recreation remains as close as the river’s shore. Annually thousands come to the riverfront to visit the Gateway Arch, enjoy the many concerts and festivals held here, or take an exciting riverboat cruise.
The Mississippi River may be called "Old Man River" by some. But for St. Louisans its nineteen miles of city shoreline make it "Our River". It’s part of what keeps St. Louis busy, vibrant, and growing.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff.
