Tributaries and Bridges of Mississippi River  

Mississippi came from the Ojibwa word misi-ziibi or gichiziibi which means “great rivers” or “big rivers” at the headwaters. The Mississippi River runs through Jefferson, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers. It is one of the longest and largest river systems in North America. It has an approximate measure of 3,900 miles or 333 km.
 
The Mississippi River is divided into two: the upper and lower Mississippi river. The upper river has three sections: the headwaters (from St. Anthony Falls), two man-made lakes and middle Mississippi.

The Upper Mississippi is shared by rivers of Minnesota, St. Croix, Wisconsin, Prairie du Chien, Iowa, Skunk River, Des Moines, Illinois, and Missouri River and Ohio. This upper portion used to be part of the Glacial River Warren. Through the years, because of several natural occurrences, it evolved and broke apart into several portions.
 
Lower Mississippi is joined by rivers of Tennessee (a tributary of the Ohio River), Platte River (a tributary of the Missouri River), Arkansas and Atchafalaya. Unlike the upper portion, here in the lower Mississippi River, there are no dams or locks. The levees and dikes prevent the occurrence of flooding. There are several man-made structures that control the flow of water to the New Orleans.
 
Other major tributaries are the Big Black River, Yazoo, Red River, White River, Ohio River, Big Muddy River, Kaskaskia River, Rock River, Maquoketa River, Chippewa River and Crow River.

There are over forty two cities having historic significance to the river. These cities are located mostly in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi itself.
 
There are a lot of bridge crossings in Mississippi river. The very first bridge across Mississippi was built in 1855. The first railroad bridge was built in 1856. This railroad bridge used to be branded hazard to navigation to discourage steamboat captains. After a few weeks of being opened, a part of the railroad was rammed which caused it to fire. The steamboat that had done this is the Effie Afton.
 
There are many known bridges near the Mississippi River that connects to other places. The sights of these bridges are magnificent and attract many tourists yearly.
 
The location of the bridges itself makes it hard to get a good line of sight. There is no secondary road in the area where the bridges are located. The main spans are located inside the levee system. Tourists are discouraged to step on the bridges to prevent accidents.
 
The third largest drainage basin is in Mississippi river. This is the main reason why there are many watersheds in Mississippi. The river drains mostly in the areas between Rocky Mountains and Appalachian mountains.
 
The river empties in the Gulf of Mexico. Its waters are sort of unique because it does not immediately mix with saltwater.
 
The Mississippi River has helped contribute a name to the United States. It is one of the world renowned rivers in the world. It attracts tourist and aids in the economical growth of the US. At present, the government is active in trying to preserve the cleanliness of the waters. In the process, it is also trying to control the presence of nutrients in the waters. Excessive nutrients present in the waters were proven to be harmful in the vegetations nearby.

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