Named by Algonkian-speaking Indians, Mississippi can be translated as "Father of Waters."  North America’s largest river drains 31 states and 2 Canadian provinces, and runs 2,350 miles from its source to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Mississippi has always been important to those who lived along its banks.  Indigenous peoples fished its waters and depended on it for travel and transportation.  Explorers and traders traveled up and down the river, while settlers moved close to take advantage of the rich farmland it provided.  The prosperous trade this spawned brought about social and economic change as news and goods made their way downriver and livelihoods were provided.  In fact, the Mississippi River's economic and strategic value was so important that when Ulysses S. Grant won the siege of Vicksburg and control of the river during the Civil War, the Confederacy was dealt a serious blow.  Today, goods being transported up and down the Mississippi share its waters with pleasure boats and floating casinos that elicit memories of the river’s showboats of yore. ​
Softcover, 6 x 9, 128 pgs.