According to the US National Park Service, it takes about 3 months for water to traverse the entire length of the Mississippi. At the headwaters the average surface speed is 1.2 mph; further downstream at New Orleans the river widens and flows faster (about 3 mph) due to increase in volume caused by tributaries.

The “Mighty Mississippi” is also known as the Great River Road, and considered to be one of America’s national treasures. This massive river system comes from small beginnings; Lake Itasca, a 1.8 square mile glacial lake in northern Minnesota. The river travels some 2,340 miles and drops 1,475 feet in elevation before reaching sea level. It winds through or past ten different US states before emptying into the Gulf.

The Mississippi was prominent in US history and played a significant role in opening the American West. Fur traders and Native Americans lived and trapped along the river, using it for both sustenance and transportation. It is still considered by many to be the dividing line between the eastern and western states.

Today the river continues to play a major role in transportation, with approximately 460 million tons of freight being moved both up- and down- river annually.

Among notable locations our drop of water would pass en route are:

1) Hannibal Missouri (the setting for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s well-known novels.)

2) Mud Island in Memphis Tennessee, and

3) Gateway Arch in Saint Louis Missouri (pictured above).

More Info: www.nps.gov