Stories about the people, places, and events along the Mississippi River.
Last week, The Atlantic published an opinion piece about life in Iowa written by New Jersey-born Stephen G. Bloom, I had a hard time getting through the whole article, because I don’t generally read fiction, especially when it is cloaked as respectable reporting.
A couple of weeks ago I praised the cities along the Upper Mississippi River with the the best riverfronts. Now it’s time to prod the cities that could do a lot better. I resisted calling these the “Five Worst” because I think any place that provides a decent view of the Mississippi River shouldn’t be
I get around. I’ve visited every Mississippi River town from the Headwaters in northern Minnesota to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. One trend that I see is that, after a century of river towns turning their backs on their river, many are slowly pivoting back to their watery roots. But, a few towns are doing it much
When the Headwaters Dam Project was completed in the early 20th century, water levels went up on many lakes in northern Minnesota, including big ones like Cass and Winnibigoshish. The dams were supposed to increase the depth of the Mississippi River south of St. Paul to improve navigation for bigger boats during low water
It’s the last day of August, but it feels more like October. The sky is a monotonous grey, and the air has barely warmed above 65° F (18° C); with the light breeze and intermittent mist, I’m wishing I had a sweater. In spite of the clouds and moisture, I’m about to get in
About twenty miles from Angle Inlet, the only town in the Northwest Angle, the sealed road ends and you jostle and bump along a wide gravel surface the rest of the way. This is better than the way things used to be. Until 1969, there was no all-season road. The Angle may seem remote,
