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The Mississippi River System, also referred to as the Western Rivers, is a mostly riverine network of the United States which includes the Mississippi River and connecting waterways. The Mississippi River is the largest drainage basin in the United States. [3] In the United States, the Mississippi drains about 41% of the country's rivers. [4]
While the majority of the discharge of the Mississippi River flows through these mouths, a portion of the river flows out of the Atchafalaya River mouth, and a small portion continues to seep out of the 200 miles (300 km) of the Delta shoreline. [3] During the American Civil War, Head of Passes was the site of several naval battles.
The Mississippi River [b] is the primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. [c] [15] [16] From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it flows generally south for 2,340 miles (3,766 km) [16] to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico.
Texas and Louisiana each ship more than $10 billion worth of cargo annually, while Illinois, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, and Washington state each ship between $2 billion and $10 billion annually. Another eight states ship at least $1 billion annually.
[1] [2] In the span of six years, the evolution of the prototypical Mississippi steamboat was well underway, as seen by the introduction of the first vessels: New Orleans, or Orleans, was the first Mississippi steamboat. [3]
Larger boats can run this segment of the river with the maximum tow size of 42 barges southbound and 40+ northbound. A typical River tow might be 35 to 42 barges, each about 200 feet (61 m) long by 35 feet (11 m) wide, configured in a rectangular shape 6 to 7 barges long and 5 to 6 barges wide, depending on the number of barges in tow.
The Lower Mississippi River is the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of Cairo, Illinois. From the confluence of the Ohio River and the Middle Mississippi River at Cairo, the Lower flows just under 1000 miles (1600 km) to the Gulf of Mexico. [1] It is the most heavily travelled component of the Mississippi River System. [2]
A Mississippi River System-type riverboat, from an 1850s daguerrotype. A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes , rivers , and artificial waterways . They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for ...