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Millions of years ago, the Upper Mississippi River flowed north and emptied into a big lake. Then came the Ice Age.
From about 3 million to 10,000 years ago, the North American continent was repeatedly covered with ice as far south as the area around the Ohio River. Then the climate began to warm. The glaciers slowly started melting, leaving behind the rock and soil they had carried. This material dammed up old river valleys and created the Great Lakes. It also forced rivers to make new routes to the sea. The Mississippi found a new course southward. Today, lands that border the Mississippi are home to more than 12 million people.
Paul Bunyan Trail
Lumberjacks worked in these north woods. They invented the legend of mighty Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
Lake Itasca
This is the source of the Mississippi. The name “Itasca” comes from combining parts of two Latin words—veritas caput—which translate as “true head.”
St. Paul
Railroads made St. Paul the ”Gateway to the Northwest.” St. Paul was also a major port at the north end of commercial river traffic. Scotch Tape was invented here.
Minneapolis
Companies like Pillsbury and General Mills grew up here, using the water power of the Mississippi to mill flour. Minneapolis is the home of the Pillsbury Doughboy.
St. Anthony Falls
The Mississippi River has only one natural waterfall, which is found here.
Red Wing
This city is named after the Sioux chief Red Wing. He supposedly wore a headdress made from a swan’s wings that had been dyed red. Red Wing is famous for its household pottery.
Muscatine
This city was known as the Pearl Button Capital of the World. In the late 1800s, it was home to many button factories. The buttons were made from the shells of pearly mussels found in the Mississippi.
La Crosse
This city is named after the game called lacrosse. French explorers saw groups of Native Americans playing the game here.
St. Louis
This city is the home of the Gateway Arch. It was built in 1965 to honor St. Louis’s historic role as the “Gateway to the West.” Before heading west, explorers, fur traders, and pioneers bought supplies here.
Harpers Ferry
Effigy Mounds National Monument contains burial mounds that date back to 600 B.C. Many of these mounds are in the shape of a bird or bear. They are the remains of mound-building Native American cultures.
Cape Girardeau
Cherokees crossed the Mississippi just north of this city when they were on the Trail of Tears (1838–1839). They had been driven out of their homes in Georgia and eastern Tennessee.
Helena
Cotton, soybeans, and rice connect this city to the river. Helena’s farms average in the thousands of acres. It is also famous for being the home of the King Biscuit Blues Festival.
New Boston
Working as a surveyor, Abraham Lincoln measured and laid out this town’s design.
Hannibal
This was the boyhood home of author Mark Twain. It gave him the inspiration for the setting of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Vicksburg
During the Civil War, Union forces captured Vicksburg. This was the military genius of General Ulysses S. Grant at work. The Union now had control of the river north of the city.
Memphis
A major trading center for cotton and lumber, Memphis later became known as the home of the blues. It is also Elvis Presley’s hometown.
New Orleans
This city is the birthplace of jazz and also of musician Louis Armstrong. The annual Mardi Gras celebration is held here. Its unique Cajun and Creole cultures are a blend of French, Spanish, African, and other heritages.
The Delta
The area south of Cairo, Illinois, is famous for its rich soil. Many large cotton plantations stood in this area.
Davenport
The first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi was built here in 1856.
