The year 1993 is remembered as the year of the Great Flood on the upper Mississippi River. But in June 2008 at Keithsburg, Illinois, the river broke all previous records, rising to 24.49 feet (over 10 feet above flood stage). River water poured over the flood-control levee and inundated the town, ruining many buildings; and after the water's retreat, the river left behind water lines, mud, and sand.
Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, is visible far in the distance across a vast floodplain east of the Mississippi River, known as the American Bottoms. The Missouri River joins the Mississippi River a few miles northeast of St. Louis.
The boat ramp at Grafton, Illinois, is at the confluence of the Illinois River and Mississippi River. The islands opposite the ramp and across the Illinois River are favorite daytime perching areas for overwintering bald eagles. The far shoreline, across the Mississippi River, is St. Charles County, Missouri.
This was the location of Fort Edwards built during the War of 1812 on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The monument was built in 1914.
From the description in Mark Twain's book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," locals have determined that this island, across from Hannibal, Missouri, is the one referred to in the book as Jackson's Island.
At the boat ramp access to the Great River National Wildlife Refuge. Long Island, part of the refuge, can be seen at the far tree line. The island is 7.4 miles long by 2.0 miles at the widest part.
The high bluffs at Hannibal, Missouri offer great views of the Upper Mississippi River in a classic setting with forested islands, sand bars, side channels, and the main channel with a towboat-barge, here moving downriver.
The Middle Mississippi River is defined as the section between St. Louis, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois. Here, the river is tightly constricted by levees and wing dams. This photograph was taken from Fountain Bluff, which is a satellite of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.
This photograph was taken on April 10, 2022, just off the Great River Road between Muscatine, Iowa, and the Quad Cities.
River access area on Chouteau Island upriver from Saint Louis, Missouri, and below the Missouri River. Large eddies are forming from the fast-flowing waters.
This panoramic view shows the Mississippi River from downstream (left) to upstream (right). The wooded area that stands out in the center of the photo is a river island. The river's main navigation channel is on the other side of the island.
The river is partly frozen on this cool January day. Over patches of open water, bald eagles foraged for fish. Common goldeneyes are also in the open water. The Mormon temple at Nauvoo, Illinois, is visible on the distant bluff.
The Mississippi River is a small, clear-water stream as it flows northward from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. This photograph was taken just north of the 32,000-acre Lake Itasca State Park.
The river is up against Burlington's concrete flood wall.
This photo was taken from Credit Island on the Iowa side of the river, just downriver from Davenport. The island, part natural area and part recreational area, is connected to the mainland by a causeway.
Erected to commemorate a battle during the War of 1812. Campbell's Island is northeast of Moline. The island is mostly privately owned except for a small state memorial park where this monument can be found.
Lake Itasca, in the north woods of Minnesota, is the source of the Mississippi River.
This photograph was taken during a balloon ride. The upper Mississippi River is barely visible in the distance.
This refuge unit is just north of Keithsburg, Illinois, on the Mississippi River bottoms. Severe flooding seems to have caused a high mortality of forest trees, making this early summer day (June 21, 2020) almost seem like a winter scene.
Moline, Illinois, in the distance from Silvan Island, with Arsenal Island on the left.
View from Brady's Bluff toward the Mississippi River Valley and Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.
This interior slough at Long Island at the Great River National Wildlife Refuge (north of Quincy, Illinois) was rather shallow. I proceeded as far as I could, and then set up camp for a couple of days. The highlight was an old-growth forest with very large shellbark hickory and bur oak trees.
This photograph was taken in 1978, on a motorcycle trip I took while on a mere one-week vacation, during the period when I worked at Sabin Robbins Paper Company.
This photo was taken near Blanding Landing in the Driftless Area of northwestern Illinois.
Overlook of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, near to where a photograph was taken in 1978 (illustrated elsewhere on this blog).
Bear Creek Recreation Area is owned the by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is adjacent to the Great River National Wildlife Refuge, just north of Quincy, Illinois.