Day 13 - The Upper Mississippi River: September 26, 2012

What can I say about the Mighty Mississippi? We don't give it much thought in our daily lives, but this river has had and continues to have a monumental influence on our country's evolution, our economic prosperity, and our citizen's daily lives. I'm sure I could write a book or two (Mark Twain did) about what I will learn traveling this river over the next few days. We departed Grafton early and passed the confluence of the Illinois and Upper Mississippi Rivers.

Upper Mississippi on the left and Illinois on the right come together 

The Mississippi is the third longest river in the world, drains a basin from Idaho to New York and Canada to Mexico (over 40% of the U.S.), and represents the boundary between east and west. It was shaped by the glaciers, still has fish evolved from those found in prehistoric oceans, was settled gradually upstream from New Orleans during the founding of our country, and played a significant role in the Civil War.

This river is subject to flooding and the greatest flood of 1993 saw the river rise as much as 38 ft in places, killing over 50 people and displacing tens of thousands of people. Harnessing the river is the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers and has lead to the building of 27 locks and dams with the most recent in 1994 costing $1B.

A staggering 1/3 of all river freight in the U.S. moves on the Mississippi. A typical upper Mississippi tow is 15 barges, each 200 ft long. Barges carry wheat to New Orleans for export, oil for refining, and coal for power plants, and a single barge of wheat can make almost a million loaves of bread. The river is a resource for fishing, boating, and tourism which supports the cities along the river. In the 1800s, riverboats transported people up and down the river, which allowed the emerging New Orleans jazz to mix with Nashville's country music. In the 1800s, river boats transported people up and down the river, which allowed the emerging New Orleans jazz to mix with Nashville's country music.

A restored 1800s steam powered river boat

We stayed in Alton, Illinois after passing under the Clark Highway Bridge. Built in 1994, it is a stunning engineering marvel with a roadbed suspended from pillars 283 ft high with 160 miles of cable. Each cable is wrapped in golden-yellow plastic so in the evening they glow in the sun.

Clark Highway Bridge

We walked to visit the National Great River Museum at the Melvin E. Price Lock and Dam and toured the massive structure. Tomorrow we will go through the smaller of the two locks (600 ft. vs 1200 ft.) on our way to St. Louis. We will be anchoring out in a remote area south of St. Louis and may not be in contact for 2 to 3 days.