Rivers in American Life & Times
4 total works
The Missouri River is about 2,500 miles from its source in Montana to its union with the Mississippi. Two hundred years ago the explorers Lewis and Clark led their Corps of Discovery up this river in search of the unknown lands of the American West.
Thomas Jefferson called the Ohio River the most beautiful river in the world. Today, the Ohio is one of the most heavily populated and industrialized river systems in America.
From pre-colonial times to the post-industrial age, rivers have shaped the course of American history and culture. Take a fascinating historical journey down the greatest rivers in the United States and learn how they have influenced the people and communities that live and work on them. The histories of these rivers include many of the notable names in American history, such as Lewis & Clark, John Colter, Zebulon Pike, and Tecumseh. The Colorado is the most important river in the entire region of the American Southwest. Without the water of the Colorado, whole modern-day communities in the west, from Phoenix to Tucson to Las Vegas, would likely not survive.
Known as Old Man River, the Mississippi is one of the great rivers of the world, with a watershed covering 1.2 million square miles. For thousands of years, people have made their homes along and within sight of the river.