The Mississippi River has cut a deep path through the heart of America for thousands of years, but how well do we really know the river beyond Huck Finn and headline-grabbing floods? In this podcast, Dean Klinkenberg wades into stories about the characters and places from the big river’s past and present.
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The Dark Side of Steamboat Travel: The Disasters that Claimed Thousands of Lives on the Mississippi River
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Send us a text Steamboats revolutionized travel, dramatically shortening the time it took to get from place to place. When we think of the peak period of steamboat travel, we often picture images of tall boats with lacy trim and passengers dressed in finery relaxing in elegant lounges. But those steamboats were also prone to catastrophic failure th…
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Much More than Snakes: The Unexpected Beauty and Unique Ecology of Snake Road
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Send us a text In this episode, I talk with wildlife biologist Mark Vukovich about the unique area known as Snake Road. Located about 40 miles south of Chester, Illinois, Snake Road passes through the LaRue-Pine Hills and Otter Pond Research Natural Areas. It’s an area full of surprises any time of year, but it’s best known for a few weeks in sprin…
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Explorers, Egos, and the Search for the Elusive Mississippi River Headwaters
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Send us a text Today, we all know—assume—that the Mississippi River begins at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. How did we figure this out? Why does it matter? In this episode, I dig into the history of how European and American explorers searched the swamps and forests of Minnesota trying to figure out exactly where the Mississippi River springs …
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Winged Wonders: Unraveling the Mysteries of Dragonflies and Damselflies
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Send us a text Amy Janik has a passion for winged creatures, which is how her professional career shifted from birds to insects in the order Odonata—dragonflies and damselflies. In this episode, we go deep into their world. After Amy describes how she got interested in dragonflies and damselflies, she offers a few tips about how to tell them apart,…
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When Change is Possible: General John A. Logan’s Journey from Defending Slavery to Advocating for Equal Rights
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Send us a text John A. Logan grew up in a well-to-do household in Murphysboro, Illinois, in the years before the Civil War. He had political ambitions early, maybe even from the moment he took his first breath, but the trajectory of his career took some remarkable turns. In this episode, I talk with Betsy Brown and Laura Varner from the General Joh…
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Iron and Immigrants: The Mesabi Range Story with Aaron Brown
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Send us a text Aaron Brown is a writer, teacher, and lifelong resident of the Mesabi Iron Range, an area that has produced an enormous share of the iron ore that built America and won two world wars. In this episode, we take a look at the Iron Ranges of Minnesota with Aaron Brown as our guide. Aaron describes the geography of mining in Minnesota, t…
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Outdoor Enthusiasm: Will Collins' Irrepressible Spirit for Adventure
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Send us a text Some people have the outdoors in their blood. Will Collins is one of them. From the time he attended his first summer camp as a child, he felt drawn to the outdoors. In this episode, I talk with Will about his path from childhood summer camps in Wisconsin to multi-week expeditions in remote areas. In 2017, he paddled source-to-sea on…
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Send us a text Did a 70-foot-long river behemoth really lurk in the river’s channel in the 1870s? Are there monsters in the river’s depths that have eluded us so far? In this episode, we delve deep into the Mississippi’s murky waters and mystical swamps to uncover stories about the terrifying creatures that we have imagined prowl the river. We also…
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Boyce Upholt on the Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River
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Send us a text Very few people today have any memory of a relatively free-flowing Mississippi River. The scale and persistence of river engineering is staggering, and for many of us, the engineered Mississippi is the only Mississippi we have known. That’s one reason journalist Boyce Upholt’s new book is so important. In The Great River: The Making …
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A Refuge for All: 100 Years of Conservation and Recreation at the Upper Mississippi Refuge
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Send us a text This year marks a major milestone, not just along the Mississippi but for conservation efforts across the United States. In June, the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge will celebrate its 100th anniversary. In this episode, I talk with Sabrina Chandler, Refuge Manager and Hallie Shulz, Visitor Services Manager about …
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Trouble in River City: Kevin Klinkenberg on Why So Many Communities Are Struggling
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Send us a text If you’re like me, as you’ve driven along the Mississippi River, or even around the country, you’ve noticed communities that aren’t doing too well. Many of these are older urban areas, but I see plenty of small towns struggling, too. What’s going on? Isn’t this just the free market at work? To dig into this issue, I invited my brothe…
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Introducing The Wild Mississippi: Your Guide to Understanding and Experiencing the Natural World of Old Man River
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Send us a text For years, I’ve been visiting the places along the Mississippi and writing guidebooks about the history and culture of the towns and people. Now I’ve got something new to add to the list: a guide to the natural history of the river itself. In my new book, The Wild Mississippi: A State-by-State Guide to the River’s Natural Wonders, I …
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Crooked Old River: Trapper Haskins' Mississippi River Voyage
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Send us a text In July 2002, Trapper and Mandy Haskins set out an epic trip to row a handcrafted boat down the Mississippi. The boat performed great, but the grind of dodging industrial traffic around Baton Rouge wore them down, so they ended the trip at New Orleans. That decision turned out to be hard for Trapper to live with, so a few years later…
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The Fight for the Upper Mississippi: Steven Marking on Will Dilg and the Birth of a Refuge
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Send us a text In 1924, Will Dilg and the newly formed Izaak Walton League of America fought the proposed drainage of the lush Winneshiek Bottoms near Lansing, Iowa by lobbying for the creation of a new, unprecedented-in-scope federal refuge. In less than a year, they succeeded, and the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge was …
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Flowing with Creativity: Sculptor Florence Bird and the Mississippi River
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Send us a text The Mississippi River has inspired artists of many stripes, including Prairie du Chien-based sculptor Florence Bird. In this episode, I talk with Bird about her path into a career as a professional artist, how she found inspiration from the Mississippi, and the details of how she goes from idea to a life-sized bronze statue. Bird is …
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Eclipse 2024: Getting the Most from the Experience in Missouri and Illinois
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Send us a text On April 8, 2024, a full solar eclipse will make is way across North America from Texas to the Northeast. It’ll cross the Mississippi River south of St. Louis. Much of southeast Missouri and all of southern Illinois will be in the path of totality, with some places experiencing the eclipse for just over four minutes, including Trail …
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Ripples Through Time: River Travelers Take Us to the Mississippi’s Past and Present
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Send us a text In The Log of the Easy Way, John Mathews wrote about a honeymoon trip he and his wife took in 1900. No, they didn’t relax at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica; they traveled a couple thousand miles down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers in a homemade shantyboat. Their book is just one of many written by people who have taken a lon…
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Steering Through the Currents: Lee Hendrix's Life Working on the Mississippi River
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Send us a text What’s it like to work on a riverboat? Lee Hendrix entered riverboat work in 1972 as a deckhand, worked his way up to mate, then into the pilothouse. He has spent most of his adult life as a pilot of riverboats big and small, from tows pushing barges to elegant overnight cruise ships. In his new book, Peep Light: Stories of a Mississ…
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The River Life: Five Women Discuss Their Paths and Passions as Mississippi River Guides
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Send us a text Men have dominated the world of outdoor adventuring and guiding for so long, that it’s easy to overlook the increasing presence of women in all spheres. More women now complete long-distance paddles on the Mississippi, as well as through hikes on the major trails. The world of guided paddling on the Mississippi reflects the trend. In…
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The Storm that Took the Midwest by Surprise: Armistice Day's Deadly Blizzard
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Send us a text It’s easy to take weather forecasting for granted, especially given the difficulties with producing accurate forecasts, but at least we almost never get surprised by big storms. That wasn’t true in 1940, when an unusually warm November day turned deadly. In this episode, I tell the story of the Armistice Day Blizzard, a massive storm…
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Understanding the True Costs and Real Risks of Levees with Nicholas Pinter
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Send us a text Drive anywhere along the Mississippi or most any other river and you’ll see a levee, an earthen wall that parallels the river to keep water in the main channel and out of the adjacent floodplain. In this episode, I talk with Nicholas Pinter about levees and the good and bad that has come with them. We discuss the evolution in respons…
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Wolves in Myth and Reality with Matt Fox
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Send us a text I don’t know if there’s another animal that has been simultaneously reviled and admired like wolves. We have a primal fear of them—their howls can make the bravest among us pick up their pace. But wolves also occupy a unique place in many cultural myths representing family, loyalty, and intelligence. In this episode, I talk with cons…
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Cruising the Culinary Mississippi: A Conversation with Chef Regina Charboneau
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Send us a text In this episode of the podcast, we wade into food traditions in the places along the Mississippi. Chef Regina Charboneau, a 7th generation Natchezian and author of Mississippi Current Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Down America’s Greatest River, is our guide as we talk about food traditions in places as different as Minnesota and Natch…
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Cafe Connections: Finding Community and Connection Along the Great River Road
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Send us a text Coffee shops, bars, diners, churches, bowling alleys—these are all important places in our social lives, so-called third places after home and work. When I’m traveling, I am drawn to them, whether I’m traveling for work or fun. They are not only great places to learn about the community, but I’ve also made new friends at many of them…
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Navigating Stormy Waters, Part 2: General Galloway on Flood Policy 30 Years after the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993
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Send us a text Welcome back! Last week, I shared the first part of my conversation with General Gerry Galloway, the person chosen by President Clinton to lead a review what happened in 1993 and what could be done to prevent such extensive damage in the future. Because our discussion ran long, I split it into two episodes. Check out the previous epi…
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Navigating Stormy Waters: General Galloway on Flood Policy 30 Years after the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993, Part 1
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Send us a text In 1993, the Great Mississippi River Flood upended lives throughout the Midwest, although the greatest damage was in the Mississippi River floodplain from the Quad Cities south to around Cairo, Illinois. Thousands of people were forced into temporary shelters, and 52 people. In the aftermath of the flooding, President Clinton establi…
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Swamp Whisperer: Going Deep into Honey Island with Guide Jessica Gauley
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Send us a text Louisiana is known for its swamps, and for good reason. In spite of some of the associations with have with the word swamp, I find them beautiful, mysterious, and magnetic. In this episode, I talk with Jessica Gauley about a section of swamp along the Pearl River known as Honey Island. Jessica grew up with the swamp and today runs Ho…
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Vanishing Giants: Looking Back at the Legacy of the Great Pine Forests of the North and the Loggers who Brought Them Down
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Send us a text Dense forests of white and red pine once ranged across northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Tall, ancient trees that were part of a rich ecosystem well-adapted to the northern climate and one that had evolved to rely on periodic fires to stay healthy. Those trees were also highly desired by logging companies and builders who needed vast…
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From Ancient to Modern: Exploring the Timeless Legacy of Canoes in North America with Mark Neuzil
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Send us a text People in North America have been getting around in canoes for thousands of years. The basic design was so perfectly engineered that we’re still using it today. In this episode, I talk with Mark Neuzil, who co-wrote “Canoes: A Natural History in North America” with Norman Sims. We talk about the basic design, variations in materials …
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Michael Anderson on Celebrating the Mississippi with River Days of Action 2023
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Send us a text It’s summer, which means it’s a great time to get out on or along the Mississippi River, and this year’s version of River Days of Action is a great place to start. In this bonus episode, I talk with Michael Anderson, Director of Outreach and Education for the Mississippi River Network, about what’s happening for River Days of Action …
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Kimmswick Mayor Philip Stang on Living in and Managing the Historic Mississippi River Town
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Send us a text What are the challenges involved with managing a small rivertown? And how does a dyed-in-the-wool Northeasterner and international business consultant end up living in a small town on the Mississippi River in the middle of America? That’s the path Philip Stang has followed to Kimmswick, Missouri, where he has served multiple terms as…
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Revisiting the Legacy of the Marquette and Jolliet Expedition 350 Years On
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Send us a text On May 17, 1673—350 years ago—Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette began an epic trip from the Great Lakes through Wisconsin and down the Mississippi River, one that would prove to be enormously consequential for European colonial ambitions and for the lives of indigenous people in the region. In this episode, I talk with Micha…
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My Mississippi River: Five People on What the Mississippi Means to Them
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Send us a text What’s your Mississippi River like? Why do you keep coming back? For many people, the Mississippi means barges and Mark Twain, but the river is so much more than that. In this episode, we hear from five people who have a strong connection with the river that doesn’t involve barges or Mark Twain: a writer and poet, a sculptor, two lon…
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Send us a text It seems to be in our nature to draw lines that separate us from this or that. Rivers offer a convenient way for us to draw some of those lines, those boundaries, especially big rivers. In this episode, I tell a few stories about how we’ve used the Mississippi River to draw political lines, some of which didn’t quite go according to …
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Winona’s Unique Community of Floating Houses
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Send us a text Just across the main channel of the Mississippi River from downtown Winona, Minnesota, you’ll find a unique community of folks who live intimately with the river. Dozens of boathouses line the eastern shore of Latsch Island, and many of them are home to people who live there year-round. In this episode of the Mississippi Traveler Pod…
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Send us a text Spring is in the air, at least for the lower two-thirds of the Mississippi Valley. Birds are on the move already, and early spring flowers are popping up in my part of the river. With migration season just getting going, it’s a good time to talk about a few places where it’s relatively easy to appreciate all those birds on the move. …
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The Remarkable Earthworks and People of Poverty Point
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Send us a text Over 3,000 years ago, a community of people who lived off the land constructed a remarkable group of earthworks that includes mounds, a plaza, and a series of C-shaped rings where they probably built houses. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Diana Greenlee about this amazing place, Poverty Point World Heritage Site. We talk about the …
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Hidden History, Facebook Photos Group, and River-Inspired Poetry
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Send us a text If there’s one thing we love to debate, it’s history and what history we should teach and idolize. In this episode, I share a few thoughts about the history we know and why we should dig deeper into stories from the past. I also interview the founder of the Mississippi River Photos group on Facebook, Norman Schafer, and share a Missi…
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Send us a text Bald eagles! January and February are popular months for eagle watching along the Mississippi River, as the birds congregate near open water along the river where the fishing is easy. In this episode, I go deep into the lives of bald eagles with Ed Hahn, Director of Marketing and Communications at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha…
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Jeff Grunwald on the New Madrid Earthquakes
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Send us a text Early in the morning of December 16, 1811, residents of New Madrid, Missouri were literally shaken out of their beds. One of the largest earthquakes in United States history shocked and disoriented residents of the busy frontier town. For several weeks, earthquakes continued to tremble and terrify folks and, in the process, rearrange…
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Victoria Bradford Styrbicki on Running the Mississippi River
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Send us a text In 2019, Victoria Bradford Styrbicki ran the length of the Mississippi River. Not content with the physical challenge of doing that, she used the run as a way to hear about people’s lives and their stories about the Mississippi River. In this episode of the podcast, I talk with Victoria about the project called Relay of Voices, about…
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What If We'd Named the Mississippi Something Else?
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Send us a text What’s in a name? Would the Mississippi sound as sweet by any other name? If Colbert had carried the day, would Mark Twain have still been inspired? Big Muddy, Old Man River, Father of Waters, we sure seem to have a hard time sticking to one name for this river. In this solo episode, I retrace the steps for how we came to use these n…
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Kim Williams on Fall Travel Along the Great River Road in Arkansas
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Send us a text In this episode, I wrap up the two-part mini-series on fall travel along the Great River Road. Arkansas-based travel writer Kim Williams and I talk about when fall colors are likely to bloom and the best places to catch them. We also talk about the upcoming King Biscuit Blues Festival and how the state is gearing up for a once-in-a-l…
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Reggie McLeod on Fall Travel in the Driftless Area
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Send us a text It's bonus episode time already! This episode is part one of a two-part series on fall travel along the Mississippi River. First up: fall travel through the spectacular Driftless Area. Reggie McLeod, founder and editor of Big River Magazine, and I talk about places to enjoy fall hikes, places with good views, food, and festivals. We …
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Twin Tragedies: Cholera and Fire Devastate St. Louis in 1849
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Send us a text In 1849, St. Louisans must have wondered what they had done so wrong to deserve suffering through two terrible tragedies. Steamboats brought cholera to the city, triggering a deadly epidemic that would ultimately kill thousands of people. In the early waves of the epidemic, a steamboat fire on the levee got out of control and quickly…
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Boyce Upholt on the Plan to Rebuild Louisiana's Coastal Marshes
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Send us a text For decades, Louisiana has been losing coastal marshes in areas around the mouth of the Mississippi River. The biggest causes for the loss of land are the levees built along the Mississippi and the hundreds of canals cut through the marshes for oil and gas exploration. Hurricane Katrina helped renew the determination to not only stop…
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Gregg Andrews on Growing up in the Mississippi River Bottoms near Hannibal, Missouri
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Send us a text Historian, musician, and author Gregg Andrews grew up in the Mississippi River bottoms south of Hannibal, Missouri, in the shadow of Mark Twain. In this episode, Gregg shares stories about the struggles and hardships his family faced but also about how the community known as Monkey Run stuck together and looked out for each other. . …
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Busting Myths about the Mississippi River
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Send us a text The Mississippi River is polluted! It’s for barges only. Dams on the upper river were built for flood control. These are a few of the myths about the Mississippi that persist. In this episode, Klinkenberg will tackle these and other mistaken beliefs about the Mississippi. For the Mississippi Minute, I offer a few quick thoughts about…
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Six Reasons to Travel along the Mississippi River
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Send us a text The Mississippi River is one of the great attractions in the United States, and the route that parallels the river, the Great River Road, is one of the best drives in America. What makes it so attractive? Why do so many people keep coming back? In this episode, Klinkenberg digs into the major reasons travel along the Mississippi Rive…
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Send us a text In the inaugural episode of the Mississippi Valley Traveler podcast, host Dean Klinkenberg describes his journey to the Mississippi River. After leaving behind a small city in the corn belt, he started college in a Mississippi River town where the river first captured his heart and imagination, but it would be a while before his life…
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