Viking Traveller 2nd Issue

TRAVEL
THE GREAT RIVER
A natural and cultural history of the Mississippi
STRETCHING FOR 2,350 MILES, the Mississippi River
flows south from its headwaters at Minnesota’s Lake Itasca
to the Gulf of Mexico. As one of the world’s major river
systems in size, biological activity and habitat diversity,
it is called the “Mighty Mississippi” for good reason.
Bisecting America’s heartland, it serves as a natural border
for 10 states and is home to 360 species of fish, 326
species of birds, 145 species of amphibians and 50 species
of mammals.
THE RIVER WAS FORMED when the last ice age ended,
about 10,000 years ago. Water from the melting ice sheet
gathered in a vast network of north-to-south channels that
carved a trough for rich sediment, which has made the
Mississippi Valley one of the nation’s most fertile lands.
NATIVE AMERICANS have lived along the
Mississippi’s banks for thousands of years. First to use
the river for commerce, the earliest Native Americans
established a network of trade routes; later, large
population centres, including a metropolis across from
present-day St. Louis called Cahokia, were formed. And
it was the Algonquian-speaking people who named the
river: Misi-ziibi or “Great River.”
AMERICAN HISTORY is bound with the Mississippi.
When the Revolutionary War ended, the river became
the new nation’s western border. That changed in 1803,
when the Louisiana Purchase ceded control of the
river—and the lands west of it—to the United States.
New communities formed, supported by paddle-wheel
steamboats that facilitated commerce and transportation.
Control of this valuable resource was critical for both sides
during the Civil War.
CONTROLLING THE MISSISSIPPI has challenged
government leaders and the US Army Corps of Engineers
for more than 100 years. A system of 29 locks and dams
in the Upper Mississippi help facilitate barge traffic and
regulate water levels. And on the more heavily trafficked
Lower Mississippi, the river is restrained by levees and dikes
to help control flooding.
THE RIVER’S CULTURAL LEGACY has inspired artists
and writers such as Maya Angelou, Tennessee Williams
and Mark Twain, whose depictions of the Mississippi are
a constant companion to his iconic hero, Huckleberry
Finn. Unique culinary traditions are also bountiful—from
rivaling barbecue in St. Louis and Memphis, to Cajun and
Creole cuisine in New Orleans. And the river’s impact
on American music styles—including Delta blues, jazz,
gospel, country, folk and rock ’n’ roll— can be felt deep in
the country’s soul.
TODAY THE MISSISSIPPI remains one of the world’s
hardest-working waterways, generating more than $400
billion in annual revenue, supporting 1.3 million jobs and
powering local economies. Low barges transport cotton,
grain and other agricultural products from the heartland.
And revitalised riverfronts along the Mississippi provide
new opportunities for tourism and discovery. This mighty
river, with its unique history, heritage and culture, offers the
ideal backdrop for a modern era of American exploration.
X Explorer’s Lounge on Deck 1, Viking Mississippi
90 viking.com