# The Mississippi River is huge! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754 "2007-08-07T17:02:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/21 "2007-08-08T12:24:18Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] \>I think you mean the Missouri. Whoops - was it? Which one flooded in the mid 90’s? [/QUOTE] [Both.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_of_1993) I believe someone already pointed out that the Missouri feeds the Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/22 "2007-08-08T13:31:01Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] \>I think you mean the Missouri. Whoops - was it? Which one flooded in the mid 90’s? I remember the pilots flew low to give us a tour, so we’re not necessarily talking the river closest to eastern Kansas. I thought it was the Mississippi. Did it flood famously then\> [/QUOTE] As **carnivorousplant** pointed out, it was both, but the Mississippi is nowhere near Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/23 "2007-08-08T16:00:40Z")
I had the same experience viewing the Ohio from the air. Although I grew up along the Ohio, it was very impressive from the air. It nears a mile in width in some places also. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/24 "2007-08-09T01:54:19Z")
They don’t call it the Mighty Mississippi for nothing. Go to the French Quarter in New Orleans and find a nice spot to relax along the Riverwalk. Watch those huge ships struggle like crazy to navigate the bend. It’s just amazing to me that they haven’t had more shipwrecks there than they have. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/25 "2007-08-09T13:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by_ **Clothahump** : > Go to the French Quarter in New Orleans and find a nice spot to relax along the Riverwalk. Watch those huge ships struggle like crazy to navigate the bend. It’s just amazing to me that they haven’t had more shipwrecks there than they have. Why not just settle for "Go to the French Quarter in New Orleans and find a nice spot to relax " I don’t think we need all this strenuous watching of ships - its not in the spirit of the place 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/26 "2007-08-09T17:27:50Z")
We went to St. Louis this May, when the mighty river was up. Nonetheless, Mrs. Nott and I crossed it on foot. It was a nice bridge, with little observation porches along the way. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/27 "2007-08-09T21:26:40Z")
\>As carnivorousplant pointed out, it was both, but the Mississippi is nowhere near Kansas. Yeah, but, it is if you’re in your own jet and the pilots want to show you the flood. The sucker cruises at Mach 0.85. Plus, if you ask nice, they’ll rattle everybody’s windows for a 25 mile radius. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/28 "2007-08-10T00:22:59Z")
The Mississippi is two to three miles wide at [Lake Pepin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pepin) in between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Pretty countryside along the lake, and good fishing, too. ---
**Author:** ![wouldn\_t\_you\_like\_to\_know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@wouldn\_t\_you\_like\_to\_know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wouldn_t_you_like_to_know)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754/29 "2007-08-10T03:51:44Z")
I am originally from St. Louis, and spent several ‘mis-spent’ evenings in high school drinking beer and solving all of the problems of the world (at least that was what we thought we were doing 😉 ) on the banks of the the Mississippi. I agree the river is a large, amazing sight to see. That being said, I would love to see the Amazon river. Accoring to wikipedia… At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11 kilometres (7 mi) wide during the dry season, but during the rainy season when the Amazon floods the surrounding plains it can be up to 45 kilometres (28 mi) wide. That just baffles my mind…a river 28 miles wide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mississippi-river-is-huge/414754.md?page=1)