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. I've read a lot of river-themed books. I have suffered through some terrible reads
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
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. When
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
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
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
