OPINION: OPINION: What I've learned from visiting both ends of the Mississippi
Mar. 4—I love to travel.
There's nothing else that gives a person the same ability to experience different places and cultures, allowing them to broaden their horizons and learn from different groups of people.
That's why for this column, I thought I'd explore what I've learned from a stop at each end of the Mississippi River.
Growing up in coastal California, the Mississippi wasn't much more to me than a long, squiggly line on a map, an informal demarcation of the eastern and western components of the United States. I'd read tales of its greatness and cultural impact from famous American writers such as Mark Twain, but it was intangible, an abstract concept of which I had no realistic grasp.
That changed when I traveled to Dulac, Louisiana, for a mission trip in my early adolescence. For the first time, I would encounter the Mississippi River Delta and what it meant to those who lived there. Dulac and the surrounding community had been rocked by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, and we were there to help residents rebuild.
I was too young to fully understand the ramifications of what had transpired, but what stood out to me was not only how kind the people were, but how much of their lives revolved around the water.
Homes, businesses and places of worship were often built on top of tall stilts to prevent immersion — the ground would reliably flood any time there was heavy rain. Not only that, the industries in the area, whether fishing or boating, were heavily reliant on the river's ecosystem.
It was my first taste of how integral the river was to many regions of the country, something I rediscovered when I moved here. The Mississippi has captured my imagination from time to time as something almost magical, an essential artery moving the lifeblood of much of the U.S.
You can see that here in its First City. The river runs right through downtown, and its name is embedded within those of many businesses across Bemidji. It gives our town part of its identity. Being the First City on the Mississippi means something precisely because the Mississippi means so much to so many.
It's the same reason why the Mississippi Headwaters at Lake Itasca is a special place. While visiting there, I witnessed how the river begins as a tiny trickle from the larger lake which, when joined downstream by other tributaries, eventually becomes a vast, raging torrent.
Seeing both ends of the river reinforced to me how interconnected this nation is. Whether through lengthy waterways, interstate highways or cross-country flight paths, small changes upstream can be essential to the well-being of those farther down the line.
I still haven't observed most of what the Mississippi has to offer, nor have I traversed a great many parts of this country that I'd like to. But I hope I can soon, for there's no better way to learn how much we rely on each other and our precious natural resources like the river.
The opportunity to experience the marvels that make the U.S. a beautiful tapestry is a gift and one that shouldn't be taken for granted.
Christian Babcock is a sports reporter at the Pioneer. Readers can reach him at
(218) 333-9787
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