![]() The majority of natives to the river area were hunters and gatherers. It was used for assisting with agriculture, gathering fish, and trading with others. The abundance of resources and overall size attracted these individuals to settle near the water. Several different Native American groups lived in the surrounding area, including the Ojibwa, Ho-Chunk, Meskwaki, and Choctaw Native Americans. The river system has always played a pivotal role in the lives of those who inhabit the surrounding area. Red River of the South įurther information: Mississippi River § History There are 20 dams and 49 other power generating facilities along the Ohio River. Along with shipping energy resources, the Ohio River also creates energy with dams and other power-generating facilities. These resources account for 70% of the cargo. Typically, the cargo being shipped are energy resources such as coal. On average the Ohio River transports over 230 million tons of cargo. The depth also allows for commerce throughout the river on barges. The water is also home to 150 species of fish ranging from catfish to certain species of salmon and trout. These deeper waters allows multiple species of fish to thrive. The depth varies, due to the dams from its origin point to Cincinnati, it averages approximately 27 feet (8.2 m) before deepening to a maximum 168 feet (51 m) near Louisville, Kentucky. It is one mile wide at Smithland dam, the widest point of the river. ![]() ![]() The river has the capacity to provide enough water for over five million people. The Ohio River drains portions of eight states, including, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The Ohio River runs 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the meeting of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it then flows into the Mississippi. The widest point of the Ohio River near Louisville The river sustains a large variety of aquatic life, including 127 species of fish and 30 species of freshwater mussels. About 850 miles (1,370 km) of the river is navigable from Minneapolis-St. The Upper Mississippi River covers approximately half of the Mississippi River's length. The bottom of the river is composed of a thin layer of clay, silt, loam, and sand, which lay above a stratum of glacial outwash. The Driftless Area is defined by a multitude of limestone bluffs that have been molded all the way since the last ice age, due to water melting from glaciers. Most of the Upper Mississippi goes through the center of the Driftless Area, around 15,000 sq mi (39,000 km 2) in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois that has managed to stay free of glacial flows covering the past two million years. The Upper Mississippi River spans around 1,250 miles (2,010 km) from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to Cairo, Illinois. Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge ![]() grain shipments, 22% of oil and gas shipments, and 20% of coal. The Mississippi River carries 60% of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with a project depth of between 9–12 ft (2.7–3.7 m) to accommodate barge transportation, primarily of bulk commodities. This system of waterways is maintained by the U.S. Important connecting waterways include the Illinois Waterway, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. įrom the perspective of modern commercial navigation, the system includes the above as well as navigable inland waterways which are connected by artificial means. Before the Mississippi River reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it runs into its distributary, the Atchafalaya River. Given their flow volumes, major Ohio River tributaries like the Allegheny, Tennessee, and Wabash rivers are considered important tributaries to the Mississippi system. The major tributaries are the Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Red rivers. įrom the perspective of natural geography and hydrology, the system consists of the Mississippi River itself and its numerous natural tributaries and distributaries. In the United States, the Mississippi drains about 59% of the country's rivers. The Mississippi River is the largest drainage basin in the United States. 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.
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