The Mississippi River is known as "The Father of Waters". The name comes from the Algonquin language group and translates roughly as "large flowing water", "beyond age", or "ancient father of waters" depending on the translation. The Mississippi River and its tributaries form the fourth largest watershed in the world. It drains an area of land from just north of the US-Canada border to the Gulf of Mexico and stretches from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Appalachians in the east.
This summer we crossed the Mississippi River in two places. The Great River Bridge connects Gulf Port, IL to Davenport, IA. The bridge measures 1,245 feet at that point. I don't have any photos of the bridge, but I did photograph the river from a nearby bluff.
The second place that we crossed the river was at Lake Itasca State Park, MN. The lake is considered the headwaters of the Mississippi. The experience of cross the river here is very different.
Here the river is shallow (and narrow) enough that it can be waded across in only a few steps.
From there the river winds through or past 10 states and drains parts of 31 states.
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