Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi River
Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi River

Author: Curtis C. & Elizabeth M. Roseman & Roseman

Publisher: University of Iowa Press

Published: 2009-09-01

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1587294850

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In June 1854 the Grand Excursion celebrated in festive style the completion of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad to the Mississippi River. Hundreds of dignitaries including newspaper editors and other journalists; politicians; academics, writers and artists; business and industry leaders; and railroad officials were among those who traveled by rail from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois, then by steamboat to St. Paul in Minnesota Territory. The travelers were shown a region undergoing rapid settlement by Europeans—an area of great natural beauty offering many promises for additional development. One hundred and fifty years later, the thirteen essays in this volume examine the activities and environments of the 1854 Grand Excursion and place them in the context of an evolving regional identity for the Upper Mississippi River Valley based on the economy, culture, geography, and history of the area. In a series of “excursions,” the contributors explore the building of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, eastern newspaper accounts of the 1854 excursion, steamboating, the area’s pictorial landscape, passenger trains along the scenic river, the genesis and features of river towns, the control of the river for navigation, the development of preserves, parks, and recreation areas, the lumber industry, and commercial fishing. The book concludes by examining the resurgence of river-oriented development, as river towns are once again embracing the Mississippi. Generously illustrated with maps, engravings, ephemera, and historic and present-day photographs, Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi River will be of interest to tourists and residents of the area, river aficionados, railroad and steamboat history buffs, as well as academics interested in the history, geography, and regional development of the area.

Hope on the River
Hope on the River

Author: Erich E. Mische

Publisher:

Published: 2021-06-17

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9781737139805

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A global pandemic, a leaky raft, and a captain completely unqualified to navigate the Mighty Mississippi - What could possibly go wrong? Afraid of the dark, scared of wild animals, and with no actual mariner skills, Erich Mische traveled nearly 1,700 miles through ten states for two months on a leaky pontoon with a garden shed on top to save the nonprofit organization he leads, Spare Key, in the middle of the Covid-19 global pandemic. Mische quickly learned he was even less qualified for the trip than he imagined, or others had correctly discerned. Braving brutal waves and wakes, navigating behemoth barges the size of office buildings, encountering a hurricane - plus flying carp (!) - all while keeping in touch with folks via live interviews, livestreaming, and blogging, Erich persevered in his quest to discover, and contribute to, Hope on the River at a time when hope was needed in our world more than ever. The questionable decision to undertake the journey on one of the most powerful, legendary, and dangerous rivers in the world nearly cost Mische his life but never his belief that America remains the most indispensable nation filled with the most remarkable people on Earth. 100% of all profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Spare Key, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families facing a medical crisis avoid adding a financial crisis to their lives through its Help Me Bounce program. Learn more at: www.HelpMeBounce.org

Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act
Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2008-02-08

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 0309177812

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The Mississippi River is, in many ways, the nation's best known and most important river system. Mississippi River water quality is of paramount importance for sustaining the many uses of the river including drinking water, recreational and commercial activities, and support for the river's ecosystems and the environmental goods and services they provide. The Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States, employing regulatory and nonregulatory measures designed to reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways. The Clean Water Act has reduced much pollution in the Mississippi River from "point sources" such as industries and water treatment plants, but problems stemming from urban runoff, agriculture, and other "non-point sources" have proven more difficult to address. This book concludes that too little coordination among the 10 states along the river has left the Mississippi River an "orphan" from a water quality monitoring and assessment perspective. Stronger leadership from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is needed to address these problems. Specifically, the EPA should establish a water quality data-sharing system for the length of the river, and work with the states to establish and achieve water quality standards. The Mississippi River corridor states also should be more proactive and cooperative in their water quality programs. For this effort, the EPA and the Mississippi River states should draw upon the lengthy experience of federal-interstate cooperation in managing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.