Stories about the people, places, and events along the Mississippi River.

Best of the Upper Mississippi: Dining with a View, 2019 Edition

It’s been six years since I posted my first list of the best riverside dining along the Upper Mississippi River. It’s time for an update, especially since a few places on the first list have closed, and new places have opened. A reminder about how I select places: the restaurant must have a good

By |2023-08-28T10:16:26-05:00April 27th, 2019|About the Mississippi Valley|Comments Off on Best of the Upper Mississippi: Dining with a View, 2019 Edition

An Immigrant Orphan and His Overachieving Family

Gerhard Gesell emigrated to the US from Germany in 1863, an orphan eager to start a new life. He was the first generation in a family of high achievers in the United States. Patriarch Gerhard was a gifted photographer; son Arnold was a well-known child psychologist; and grandson Gerhard a respected federal judge. Their

By |2019-04-01T17:58:14-05:00March 30th, 2019|Characters|Comments Off on An Immigrant Orphan and His Overachieving Family

Putnam Gray and His Castle on the River

In the late 1800s, an eccentric inventor and long-time riverman built a home next to the Mississippi River near Minneiska, Minnesota. Putnam Gray's home  was so unique that people talked about it for decades, and people like me are still fascinated by it today. Gray was born in Ohio in 1833 and began working

By |2019-02-03T16:50:52-05:00February 3rd, 2019|About the Mississippi Valley|Comments Off on Putnam Gray and His Castle on the River

Illinois’ Little Egypt

The most southern portion of Illinois has been known as Little Egypt at least since the 1820s, and maybe earlier. Many early European settlers viewed the Mississippi River as America’s Nile, which, coupled with evidence that the area was inhabited by an ancient civilization (earthen mounds that often looked a lot like pyramids) probably

By |2018-12-08T17:36:14-05:00December 8th, 2018|About the Mississippi Valley|Comments Off on Illinois’ Little Egypt

Mark Twain Goes Home Again

Sam Clemens grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. We all know that. Those years provided fodder for his future works of fiction and shaped a good part of his character (and maybe the bad parts, too). We know that, too. Sam Clemens in 1850 During his life, Clemens related many happy memories of

By |2018-11-25T11:37:16-05:00November 25th, 2018|About the Mississippi Valley|Comments Off on Mark Twain Goes Home Again

Bix Beiderbecke: From Musical Prodigy to Jazz Legend

Bix Beiderbecke grew into a jazz legend because he was born in the right place at the right time. Sure, he was also a gifted musician, but his path to the top as one of the greatest jazz cornetists was fueled by the inspiration he drew from hearing the earliest jazz musicians play on

By |2018-12-15T10:05:05-05:00October 21st, 2018|Characters|Comments Off on Bix Beiderbecke: From Musical Prodigy to Jazz Legend

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