The Lower Mississippi River

From St. Louis MO and down, the Mississippi River takes on a different look and feel.   

 

The St. Louis Arch

 

Gone are the pools or lakes created by the lock and dams.  Now the river moves at a faster pace, it becomes restless as it makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

I put my canoe on the water just twice once I left St. Louis. I did this for a couple of reasons.  One, the river just becomes a larger version of itself. But mainly, I was running out of time to get to the mouth of the river.

 

Paddling the Mississippi River near Helena Arkansas.

 

 

Following the river gave me the opportunity to learn some about the American Civil War.

 

Civil War Canons at the Vicksburg National Military Park Memorial. The battle fought here was a major turning point in the civil war for the north.

 

 

I continued to follow the river by road and when ever possible, I would take a ferry ride across the river. Any chance to get on the river was a welcomed opportunity to deepen my relationship with it. 

 

My truck on a ferry ride across the Mississippi River.

 

The river flows 1.2 miles per hour at the start, but the time it reaches New Orleans, they estimate the river is flowing 3 miles per hour, more then doubling its flow rate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time I reached the mouth of the Mississippi River I had touched all 10 states the river passes through or borders,  Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky,Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

 

The southern most point you can drive to in Louisiana is not where the Mississippi River ends.  

 

It's still 20 miles by river from this point to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

 I was lucky enough to make a couple of new friends who took me down the main channel of the Mississippi River all the way out to the Gulf of Mexico.  As we headed south we passed by ocean going vessels from all over the world entering the river.  

 

We pass by a Russian ship as it enters the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Pelican's sat perched on signal lights that directed ships.   At one point I briefly saw a pod of dolphins surface, and disappear into the brown murky waters. 

 

Hanging onto the boat at the swells from the Gulf of Mexico toss our boat around.

 

 

My friends Rhino and Leslie who took out to the place where the river meets the gulf.

 

 

 

It was clear by the time we reached the point where the river meets the gulf.  Large waves started to toss our boat around.  Still, it wasn't that small of a boat, it was used for sport fishing.  But I was very happy that I wasn't in my canoe. 

 

The purple pin shows Venice, where the road ends. The blue dot shows where the boat I was in as it entered the Gulf of Mexico!

 

 

Measurements of the length of the Mississippi from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico vary somewhat, but the United States Geological Survey's number is 2,340 miles (3,770 km). The time it takes a drop of water from Lake Itasca to reach the Gulf is typically about 90 days.

I traveled the distance in 2 months, floating sections of it along way.  Visiting with people and historical sites to deepen my appreciation for the river and the places it touches. 

 

I did take some time to explore a part of the delta in southern Louisianan, and had the chance to meet some alligators! 

 

A gator swims close to check me out.

 

Exploring the Mississippi River was a wonderful journey.  The people, the places and the nature I encountered were amazing.  One could spend a life time exploring the Mississippi River rain basin and never be able to completely capture the full picture of the river and the role it has played and continues to play in our country.  But for 2 months I have been on a date with the Mississippi River and we have started a relationship, by spending time and getting to know one another.  What I can say, I have a new found and deeper respect and appreciation for the mighty Mississippi River! 

 

I want to give a special thanks to all the generous people who were so kind to me along the way. And a shout out to the Corp of Engineers for their support and help in giving me access the river in their facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[jahliel]

Hi Mr Jacob

my name is Jahliel I've been in this class for 5 years. I'm that person who didn't want to go on skype. I think its cool Quinten got that dean Jacob badge. Did you find wild animals like last year at the amazon?

your frend jahliel

[Alex S.]

Dear Mr.Jacobs,
Yes I do know what they call soccer in South America they call it football. Yes, I did know that there are allot of locks on the Mississippi. Yes I do want to to explore the Mississippi River one day because it seems like it has allot of wild life and it sounds like a pretty cool place to visit. Do you know what the Delta is? I do it is a some how triangular shaped piece of land that is mushy land allot of people live there. I heard that you saw a some civil war stuff.
Your friend,
Alex S. :) :) :)

[Lily]

Dear Mr.Dean,
I heard that you saw World War 2 stuff!That is totally AWESOME!What do the call soccer in South America,but i have heard that they call it football.Is that true?While you were on the Mississippi river did you see any of those kinda creepy ducks called Loons?Do you think you can come to Highland again and tell us about your exiting Mississippi trip?!

Thanks,
Lily:):)

[quinten]

Dear Dean Jacobs,
Thanks for your Email. I want to be a pilot and be adventurous and be Just like you!
sincerely
Quinten

[Riley]

Hi Mr Jacobs,
Yes, I would like to explore the Mississippi River one day because it looks fun. Did you see any deer?

Your Friend,
Riley

[clayton]

Dear Dean,

Yes I do want to explore the Mississippi river one day. I would like to take my little brother with me to. I think it would be fun to meet a lot of new friends and see new things like you did.

Your Friend,
Clayton

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Riley,

Thank you for the post on my blog.

It’s fun to have you along for the journey. The river averages 3 miles a hour. It takes a drop of water about 3 months to travel from Lake Itasca all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Measuring rivers gets confusing, because people measure them different ways. If you measure the Mississippi River from it longest starting point, which is a tributary that feeds into the river, then it becomes the 4th longest river in the world. If you measure where they start calling the river the Mississippi, then it is 2,530 miles long, which would make it about the 40th longest river in the world.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Clayton,

Thank you for the post on my blog.

I have a really good canoe for exploring the Mississippi River, so I had no problems. Which I am very thankful for!
On my journey I met all kinds of nice people, it was really fun!

The entire two months I explored the Mississippi River I saw new things, which was really cool!
Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for the post on my blog.

There are several different measurements for the Mississippi River. The river is constantly changing its course, especially when it floods.

I’ve read several printed signs that have given different answers to how long the river is. But, the most common number quoted is 2,530 miles long.

The flow of a river depends on how much the land drops over a distance.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Derek,

Thank you for the post on my blog.
I got a chance to explore the delta and saw lots of Pelicans and even some alligators!

There are several reasons why so many animals live there. There are not a lot of people who live in the delta, so that helps. There are also lots of food sources, such as fish and shrimp and that attracts lots of other animals.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River delta one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Jersey,

Thank you for the post on my blog.

There is a debate as to which river is the longest in the world. Right now they say it is the Nile, but it could also be the Amazon.

I did explore the delta and saw lots of Pelicans and even some alligators!

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Gavin,

Thank you for your post on my blog. Luckily I never tipped over my canoe! I did see other boats on the river. Most of them were people enjoying the river on a weekend.

Measuring rivers gets confusing, because people measure them different ways. If you measure the Mississippi River from it longest starting point, which is a tributary that feeds into the river, then it becomes the 4th longest river in the world. If you measure where they start calling the river the Mississippi, then it is 2,530 miles long, which would make it about the 40th longest river in the world.

I didn’t see any mud skippers, but I did see lots of carp, and some small mouth bass.

The Mississippi River got wider as more rivers connected to it. But the widest part of the river is when it passes through a lake in Minnesota, and it becomes 7 miles wide.

I got a tour of the lock and dams, but never got the chance to operate one.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Alex,

Thank you for posting on my blog.

Yes, I saw lots of animals on my trip, mostly birds. One of my favorite birds was the Bald Eagle. Lots of fish swam by my canoe. And when I was down south, I saw some alligators.

People built a city on the delta because they thought it might make a good place to create a home. I didn’t see any mud skippers on my trip.

It was very cool to leave the Mississippi River and enter the Gulf of Mexico. The waves were really big and tossed our boat around.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Alex S.,

Thank you for the post on my blog!

Soccer is a cool sport. Do you know what they call it in South America?

The locks are cool, and they gave me a tour of them a couple of times. Do you know how many locks are on the Mississippi River? I saw them all, one them I canoed through!
Yes, I saw several large groups of barges tied together.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Jolie,

Thank you for your post on my blog!
The Mississippi River is an amazing river, with interesting people and places. Yes, I saw lots of animals on my trip, mostly birds. One of my favorite birds was the Bald Eagle. Lots of fish swam by my canoe. I saw the most animals when I was in Minnesota. And when I was down south, I saw some alligators.

Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

Oh and yes, Harry Potter is cool. :)

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Skylar,

Thank you for the post on my blog!
It’s fun to share the journey with you. Yes, I saw lots of animals on my trip, mostly birds. One of my favorite birds was the Bald Eagle. Lots of fish swam by my canoe. And when I was down south, I saw some alligators.
Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Jaynie,

Thanks for the post on my blog.
It’s great to share the journey with you. Yes, I did explore some of the delta, I saw a lot of pelicans! And for just a brief moment, I saw dolphins jumping in the waters.

Do you want explore the Mississippi River one day?

Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Lily,
Thank you for your post on my blog. It’s fun to share the journey with you.
The Mississippi River is pretty amazing, and way to strong for anyone to try and stop. At best people can only slow it down.

While on the Mississippi River, I saw lots of barges. Generally a tugboat was pushing them. I didn’t see any mud skippers, but I did see lots of carp. I also saw lots of other animals, like raccoons and otters, but mostly birds. One of my favorite birds was the Bald Eagle. And when I was down south, I saw some alligators.
Thankfully I never tipped in my canoe! I had a lot of expensive camera gear that couldn’t get wet.
The delta is a special part of a river, where it fans out, depositing sediment and meets the ocean or sea. It’s moist because it sits right at sea level.
Do you want to explore the Mississippi River one day?
Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Grace,

Thank you for the posting on my blog.
Yes, I saw lots of animals on my trip, mostly birds. One of my favorite birds was the Bald Eagle. Lots of fish swam by my canoe. And when I was down south, I saw some alligators.
The locks and dams lift and lower boats on the river. They built large holding tanks, like a bathtub large enough to hold a ship, and then fill them water or empty out the water. The gates are operated by hydraulics, or special levers that allow the Lock Master to open and close the gates.
Happy to have you along for the journey!
Would you like to see the locks on the Mississippi River one day?
Cheers,
Dean

[Dean Jacobs]

Hi Quinten!

Good to see you back in Ms’ Tharp’s class! Wow, six years has to be a record! It’s been fun sharing the journey with you.

Measuring rivers gets confusing, because people measure them different ways. If you measure the Mississippi River from it longest starting point, which is a tributary that feeds into the river, then it becomes the 4th longest river in the world. If you measure where they start calling the river the Mississippi, then it is 2,530 miles long, which would make it about the 40th longest river in the world.
Good question.
I didn’t see any mod skippers on my trip. I saw lots of animals on my trip, mostly birds. Lots of fish swam by my canoe. And when I was down south, I saw some alligators.
Yes, the people make blue berry pie, and it is very yummy!
Up north there are more wild animals then people along the river, but as you move further south, the health of the river is not as good, because there are more people.
The canons could no longer shoot, but I really don’t know that for a fact. I do know I would want to try and shoot an old canon, I don’t think it would be very safe.
People built a city on the delta because they thought it might make a good place to create a home. Going into the mouth of the Mississippi River was a lot of fun and a very rewarding way to complete my long journey. I didn’t canoe the last section, because the current is too strong and large ocean ships were going up and down the river. I made some new friends who gave me a ride in their sport fishing boat, which is much larger then a canoe!
Do you want to go explore the Mississippi River one day?
Cheers,
Dean

[relationship tips]

Hello, this weekend is nice in favor of me, since this moment i am reading this fantastic educational paragraph here at my residence.

[quinten]

Dear Dean Jacobs,
Hi my name is Quinten and I am in 5th grade. I have been in your class for 6 years and this is my last year. I will pass my memory's on and on. This year you are going down the Mississippi river and I have a few questions for you.we learned that the Mississippi river is 2,530 miles long. Is it the 4th or the 10th longest river? raccoon's and beavers live along the river. Are there mod skippers along the river? What animals have you seen? A bird called a loon lives along the river. Do the people make blue berry pie? there are pink blue berries. Are there more people or animals?there is wild rice along the river. The delta is a wet triangular shape of land were lots of animals live. could the canons still shoot? If so how far could the canons shoot? Why did people build a city on the delta? what was it like going into the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico in a canoe?

[Grace]

Dear Mr. Jacobs,
My name is Grace. I learned that there are animals in the Mississippi River. I also wonder what animals there are.
People can build walls on the river to stop the water. How do they lift the walls into the river? Thank you for helping me learn about the Mississippi River.

Your friend,
grace.

[Lily]

Dear Mr.Jacobs,
HI!I'm Lily.I am 9 years old and in 4th grade at Highland elementary.I used to be in Mrs.Tharp's 3rd grade class.what is your favorite color?Mine is neon green and midnight blue.You and Mrs.Tharp are AWESOME from what i have heard.I also have the book that you and Mrs.Tharp made together.Did you know that for 2 centuries people have tried
to stop the Mississippi river.(also my friend Alex S. is in this class. What is your favorite sport? Mine is soccer.)
Along the Mississippi river did you see a barge or Mud skippers.(Mud skippers are fish things that live in the water)
What kind of animals did you see while you where on the Mississippi river?Did you see any CUTE furry raccoon or wild blue berries?Did you almost tip over in the canoe once or twice?Do you know why the delta is very moist? Thank you for knowing Mrs.Tharp.Again you and Mrs.Tharp are very awesome!!!
Sincerely
Lily

[jaynie]

Dear Dean Jacobs,
My name is Jaynie and I just wanted to thank you for making this cool class! I love learning about the Mississippi river its so fun! I learned that it's the longest river in America. Did you explore the delta? I can't believe that next week we get to see you on skype! I can't wait!

Love
Jaynie

[Skylar]

Dear Mr. Jacobs,
Hi. My name is Skylar. I am 8 years old and I go to Highland Elementary. My favorite fact is that people can put locks on the river to stop the water. Did you see any animals on the Mississippi River? Thank you for the interesting pictures!

Skylar

[Jolie]

Dear Mr.Jacobs,
Hi my name is Jolie I am 10 and in love with Harry Potter. I have some facts and some questions. Did you now Mississippi has it's own way, lot's of people live on the Mississippi,and it can move a house!!!!!!!! What part of the Mississippi river did you see the most animals, And DO YOU LOVE HARRY POTTER?!?!

You Friend,
Jolie :) ;)

[Alex S.]

Dear Mr.Jacobs,
Hi my name is Alex and I am a fourth grade student at Highland Elementary. My favorite color is sky blue,what is yours? I play soccer and am on a team called the comets. I'm taking Ms.Tharp's class and am learning about you taking your trip on the Mississippi River and have some facts and a lot of questions. Last year I was in her class. This year I am in Mrs.Hick's class. My friend Lily is also in this Mississippi River class with me and is on my soccer team. I learned that you saw a lock that blocks water, did you get to operate one? Another thing I learned was that the Mississippi River can hold a barge that is five football fields wide, did you see one?
Your Friend,
Alex S.

[Alex]

Dear Dean Jacobs,

My name is Alex. I'm eight years old. My favorite animals are penguins. We are learning about the Mississippi River. The reason I took this class is because I want to learn more about the animals that live on the Mississippi River. I learned that wild rice looks like corn. I also learned that people built a city on the delta. Why did people build a city on the Delta? Are there mud skippers on the Mississippi River? What did it feel like to leave the Mississippi River and enter the Gulf of Mexico?

Your friend,
Alex

[Gavin]

Dear Mr Jacobs,

I am Gavin I wanted to know if you tilted the canoe over or saw A canon. So is the Mississippi the 10th or the 4th
longest river. What kind of fish did you see? How wide did you think it was? Did you operate a lock?

Gavin

[Jersey]

Dear Mr. Jacobs,

My name is Jersey and I'm 7 years old. I have a Question: what is the Longest river? I've been learning about the Mississippi River. I learned the Mississippi River is 2,530 miles. Did you explore the Delta? Thank you for helping me learn about the Mississippi River.
Yours Truly,
Jersey

[derek]

Dear Mr. Jacobs,
my name is Derek, I learned that the Mississippi river is 530 miles long. Did you know that a delta is a piece of land? I have a question for you, Why do so many animals live here? Thank you for coming to Highland and doing things with us.
Your friend,
derek

[Peter]

Dear Mr. Jacobs,
This is Peter. I learned that the Mississippi River starts in a rice field. I wonder how long it really is, and why it is so fast. Thank you for going to the river and teaching us.

[Clayton]

Dear Mr. Jacobs,

It is you friend Clayton did your canoe break during your trip from the Mississippi river?? Did you meet lots of new friends and did you have fun? Did you get to see lots of new places?

[Riley]

Dear Mister Jacobs,
My name is Riley. I learned that the Mississippi River is the tenth longest river. I wonder how fast the water goes. Thank you for teaching us about how the Mississippi River is the tenth longest river.