Mississippi River Fun Facts:

GENERAL:

Headwaters of the Mississippi is Elk Lake which drains into Lake Itasca.

Name: Mississippi comes from Messipi, the French rendering  of the Anishinabe people (Ojibewe Indians) word misi-ziibi ("Great River") or gichi=ziibi ("Big River").

Speed: A raindrop falling in Lake Itasca, MN would reach the Gulf of Mexico in about 90 days; average speed is about 3 mph.

Length: This is difficult to pin down, since the river is constantly changing but according to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area the length is 2,350 miles.

Width: The widest point of the Mississippi River can be found at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, MN, where it is 11 miles wide.  Lake Onalaska, near La Crosse, WI where the river is over 4 miles wide.  Since Onalaska is created by Lock and Dam No 7, Lake Pepin is the historically widest natural spot of more than two miles wide.

Depth: Ranges from < 3 feet to 200 feet deep in New Orleans, LA.

Elevation:  The elevation of the Mississippi at a Lake Itasca is 1,475 feet above sea level.  It drops to sea level at the Gulf of Mexico.  More than half of that drop in elevation occurs within the state of Minnesota!

HABITAT:

The Mississippi River, its tributaries and floodplain are home to a diverse population of living things:

•·         At least 240 species of fish, 25% of all fish species in North America

•·         40% of the nation's migratory waterfowl use the river corridor during their Spring and Fall Migrations

•·         326 species or 60% of all North American birds use the Mississippi River Basin as their migratory flyway

•·         38 documented mussels species  from Cairo IL to Lake Itasca, the Lower Mississippi there may be as many as 60 separate species of mussels

•·         The Upper Mississippi is host to more than 50 species of mammals.

•·         At least 145 species of amphibians and reptiles inhabit the Upper Mississippi River environs. 

WATER SUPPLY:

It is estimated that 18 million people or more than 50 cities rely on the Mississippi for their daily water supply.  The city of St. Cloud, Minneapolis and St. Paul are the three cities within MN that relay on the Mississippi as their drinking water source.

HISTORICAL FACTS:

Water Skiing was invented in 1922, on Lake Pepin, MN.

Explorer Henry Schoolcraft was the first white man to locate and document the true source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in northern MN in 1830.

WORLDLY FACTS:

The Mississippi River is one of the world's major river systems in size, habitat diversity, and biological productivity. 

When compared to other world rivers, the Mississippi-Missouri River Combination ranks fourth in length at approx. 3,902 miles following the Nile (4135 mi), the Amazon (3980) and the Yangtze (3917 mi).

In measure of tonnage, the largest port in the world is located on the Mississippi River at La Place, LA.

CONTINENTAL FACTS:

The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States. The longest river, (a Mississippi Tributary) is the Missouri River measuring 2,540.

The Mississippi River watershed is the third largest in the world, extending from the Allegheny Mountains in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.  The Mississippi River watershed drains all or parts of 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces.  It drains about 41% of the entire U.S. and is exceeded in size only by the Amazon River and Congo River. 

There are 29 locks-and-dams stretching 669 miles between Minneapolis, MN and Granite City, IL, controlling nearly 2/3 of the nation's watershed.

LOCAL FACTS:

The Twin Cities: These two cities do not face each other opposite river banks, rather St. Paul is located 13 miles down river from Minneapolis

St. Paul:  St. Paul began because of the river shipping, as it was located (in the 1800's) as the northern most spot for practical navigation.  Today you still see lots of boats, barges and marinas in St. Paul.

Minneapolis:  Minneapolis began by St. Anthony Falls, exploiting its power into lumber and flour milling industries.  In recent years, Minneapolis has restored, the old Mill District.  You can visit the Mill City Museum or walk across the Stone Arch Bridge which overlooks the upper most lock on the River, St. Anthony Falls, the old mills and the skyline of downtown Minneapolis.

The first bridge on the Mississippi was built in 1855.  It spanned the river in Minneapolis where the current Hennepin Ave Bridge is located.

Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge collapsed catastrophically on August 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring over 100.  The bridge was replaced with the St. Anthony Bridge in September 2008.

St. Anthony Falls is the only waterfall on the entire length of the Mississippi.

Mississippi River Renaissance River Communities: