These Are the Most Important Books about the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River has a long and complicated history. If you are like me and enjoy reading about different aspects of the river's history, you might wonder which books you should read to get the full picture. I'm here to help. In ten years, I've read a lot of books. I have suffered through

By |2024-02-26T18:19:21-05:00March 13th, 2018|Features|Comments Off on These Are the Most Important Books about the Mississippi River

Enduring Benefits of the CCC and WPA

In 1932, the US Gross National Product dropped a record 13% and nearly one-quarter of the adult population was unemployed; in three years 40% of American banks had failed. In the first few weeks after his inauguration in March 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt launched a series of ambitious public works programs to get people

By |2018-12-21T15:00:06-05:00April 9th, 2016|About the Mississippi Valley|Comments Off on Enduring Benefits of the CCC and WPA

Hamilton

Population (2010) 2,951 Visitor Information Direct your questions to the village office (1010 Broadway St.; 217.847.2936). History At the time that Illinois became a state in 1818, most of the land around present-day Hamilton was owned by John Kernell, but he apparently never lived on it.

By |2022-07-10T17:58:03-05:00September 25th, 2015|Illinois|Comments Off on Hamilton

The Murals of Montrose

I crossed the Highway 136 bridge back into Iowa and worked my way down maddeningly slow Main Street in Keokuk, a highly engineered but poorly thought out road that put the stop in stoplight. I plodded along toward Montrose, hoping to get there before the local history museum closed at 4. Guillermo "Memo" Dominguez

By |2016-10-21T15:28:07-05:00August 25th, 2015|About the Mississippi Valley|1 Comment

Paddlers, Peddlers, Artists, and More

It seems that the Mississippi only makes it in the news when it’s flooding or something happens that slows down barges. You can be forgiven if you think the Mississippi today is little more than a taxpayer-funded shipping canal hidden behind levees. I was reminded of this after a recent 11-day trip along the Upper

By |2016-10-21T15:28:17-05:00August 24th, 2014|Blogging the Great River Road|1 Comment

Bemidji’s Beavers

Bemidji is in the northern reaches of one of the most northern US states: Minnesota. In two hours, you can drive to Fargo (North Dakota), Lake Superior, or Canada. Just 30 miles away, Itasca State Park, one of the oldest state parks in the US, is home to the body of water identified as the

By |2017-05-23T17:42:37-05:00February 7th, 2011|Blogging the Great River Road|Comments Off on Bemidji’s Beavers

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