Headwaters of the Mississippi River
Aug. 8-14, 2013
Lake Itasca State Park is Minnesota's oldest and largest state park.
Foremost amongst its attractions is Lake Itasca, which is the source of
the Mississippi River.
This is the "official" start of the Mississippi River; Lake Itasca is
on the left and this "creek" flowing out has been declared to be the
Mississippi River. The sign was carved in 1934 by the CCC; since then
the river has been channelized and rerouted so that the distance to the
Gulf of Mexico is about 200 miles shorter.
Nancy is wading across the Mississippi River. The river here is barely
ankle-deep. I'm not sure this stream is worthy of being called a
"river"; to me it is more of a "crick", about the size of Wingra Creek
in Madison, or Bear Creek in Merced. But the "Mississippi River" is
what it has been named.
This is the first "bridge" across the Mississippi River.
This is the river about a quarter mile downstream from Lake Itasca.
At this point a reasonably spry person could jump across the river in
two hops, using the sandbar in the middle. But when you get to St.
Louis, the river is about a mile wide and is truly worthy of the
"Mighty Mississippi" title. But it comes from humble beginnings.