Walk Across the Mississippi River

Can any mortal human walk across the Mississippi River? Yes. It’s easy to cross the Mississippi at its source.

The Mississippi River begins its long journey in northern Minnesota at Lake Itasca. Here the Mississippi starts as a small stream. Just about anyone can stroll right across it using conveniently placed stepping-stones. This humble beginning gives no indication of its 2,552 mile journey or the “mighty” force it will later become.

There are traditions and rules about what constitutes the source of a given river. For the Mississippi River, conventional wisdom says it’s Lake Itasca. Oddly enough, smaller bodies of water exist in the same park that feed into Lake Itasca. However, those who determine such things do not consider them to be the true source.

These are quite noticeable on the map, and include Elk Lake, Hall Lake and Nicolet Creek (may need to switch to Satellite mode and drill-in to see them all). Elk Lake, the largest one on in this view, is a particularly worthy candidate to received the Mississippi headwaters designation. Controversy remained until the late nineteenth century when consensus finally settled on Itasca.