Mississippi River
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Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western
Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for 2,530 miles (4,070 km) to
the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many
tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains all or parts of 31
U.S. states between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains and even
reaches into southern Canada. The Mississippi ranks fourth longest and
tenth largest among the world's rivers.
Native Americans lived along the Mississippi and its tributaries. Most
were hunter-gatherers or herders, but some such as the Mound builders
formed prolific agricultural societies. The arrival of Europeans in
the 1500s forever changed the native way of life as first explorers,
then settlers, ventured into the basin in increasing numbers. The
river served first as barrier – forming borders for New Spain, New
France, and the early United States – then as vital transportation
artery and communications link. In the 19th century, during the height
of Manifest Destiny, the Mississippi and several western tributaries,
most notably the Missouri, formed pathways for pioneers partaking in
the western expansion of the United States.
Formed from thick layers of this river's silt deposits, the
Mississippi River Valley is one of the most fertile agricultural
regions of the country and as a result came the rise of the river's
storied steamboat era. During the American Civil War, the
Mississippi's capture by Union forces marked a turning point towards
victory because of this very importance as a route of trade and
travel, not least to the Confederacy. Because of substantial growth of
cities, and the larger ships and barges that have supplanted
riverboats, the decades following the 1900s saw massive engineering
works applied to the river system, such as the often in-combination
construction of levees, locks and dams.
Since modern development of the basin began, the Mississippi has also
seen its share of pollution and environmental problems – most notably
large volumes of agricultural runoff, which has led to the Gulf of
Mexico dead zone off the Delta. In recent years, the river has shown a
steady shift towards the Atchafalaya River channel in the Delta; a
course change would prove disastrous to seaports such as New Orleans.
A system of dikes and gates has so far held the Mississippi at bay,
but due to fluvial processes the shift becomes more likely each year.