# how can i find the width of the Mississippi river a specific point? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279 "2007-05-23T20:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/21 "2007-05-23T23:16:45Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] You can go to TopoZone and try to estimate it. Or, ya know, tell one of us who has GE where the point is. [/QUOTE] Between Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas. It’s a fairly minor thing. I’ve decided to assume it’s about the same as the span of the bridge crossing the river at that point. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/22 "2007-05-23T23:24:34Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Between Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas. It’s a fairly minor thing. I’ve decided to assume it’s about the same as the span of the bridge crossing the river at that point. [/QUOTE] There are two bridges one for I55 and one for I 40. [http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/](http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/) shows the I55 bridge as .4133 Miles or 2182 feet. Pretty close to the 2000 feet mentioned above. I will note that this bridge seems to be about the narrowest point of the river in that region. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/23 "2007-05-23T23:29:46Z")
At our public library they have these real big flat things, with drawings of actual places, and little markings for distance. Maps, I think they call them. Sometimes they have whole books full of them. Atlases, I think. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/24 "2007-05-23T23:32:03Z")
[QUOTE=Triskadecamus] At our public library they have these real big flat things, with drawings of actual places, and little markings for distance. Maps, I think they call them. Sometimes they have whole books full of them. Atlases, I think. Tris [/QUOTE] Were I at the Central Branch on Poplar I would avail myself of such. Being at a pathetic little branch I am not able to so. Anywhistle, I’ve decided to be less neurotic, guess that it’s 1000 feet or so, and forget it. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/25 "2007-05-24T02:13:31Z")
[QUOTE=gazpacho] > **[gmap-pedometer.com](https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/)** > > gmap-pedometer.com is the free, no login required, route planner for runners cyclists and walkers. Measure your distance in miles or km, see elevation graphs, and track calorie burn all one one page. This should work with google maps from within your browser. [/QUOTE] Thanks for that link. That is very cool. On preview, whoops, like that other guy said. I get 0.4121 miles or 2175 feet over the I55. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/26 "2007-05-24T03:51:24Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] Back in the day we’d use a nautical chart and a pair of dividers. You whippersnappers don’t know how easy you have it. [/QUOTE] Hah! Who’re you calling a whippersnapper? Back in the _real_ day, we’d get a strong swimmer and a really big tape measure! Young’uns, with their fancy “maps” and tools. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/27 "2007-05-24T08:04:39Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] guess that it’s 1000 feet or so, . [/QUOTE] A better guess is 2000 ft. BTW you never asked what width you wanted … average daily flow? mean annual flow? 2-year flow? 100-year flow ?? 😛 BTW ExTank nice ta see ya 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/28 "2007-05-24T08:17:06Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Go to that point. Take a very long piece of string and have a friend hold one end. Swim across with the string. Watch out because the Mississippi River has deadly current and large ships in parts. Measure the string once you get to the other side. [/QUOTE] Not a very sensible suggestion, you should be ashamed. Much better to start with the string already across the river, and have your friend pull you in as you swim toward him. ---
**Author:** ![DistendedPendulousFrenulum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@DistendedPendulousFrenulum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DistendedPendulousFrenulum)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/29 "2007-05-25T02:21:34Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] A better guess is 2000 ft. BTW you never asked what width you wanted … average daily flow? mean annual flow? 2-year flow? 100-year flow ?? 😛 I seen it from Mud Island. It are big. Looks like two miles to me. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/30 "2007-05-25T03:26:47Z")
[QUOTE=Triskadecamus] At our public library they have these real big flat things, with drawings of actual places, and little markings for distance. Maps, I think they call them. Sometimes they have whole books full of them. Atlases, I think. Tris [/QUOTE] _John Galt Shrugged_, by Ayn McNally 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/31 "2007-05-25T06:22:20Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] A better guess is 2000 ft. BTW you never asked what width you wanted … average daily flow? mean annual flow? 2-year flow? 100-year flow ?? [/QUOTE] I was wondering for the whole thread…having just been in St. Louis when the river rose near flood stage, it added a good amount on to the width on the Missouri bank at least. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279/32 "2007-05-25T11:36:10Z")
You could drive across the bridge and zero out your trip odometer as you pass the bank of origin and note the mileage when you reach the other bank. Being from Memphis, I’m sure you’re aware that the width of the big muddy varies a good deal depending on how much rain there’s been upstream, meaning not only up the Mississippi but also the Missouri and Ohio Rivers’ drainages, among others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-the-width-of-the-mississippi-river-a-specific-point/405279.md?page=1)