The River's End

Here in Saint Michael, MN, the Crow River is an environment full of endless possibilities. It’s a place for people to experience the joys of fishing, allows for adventurists to experience a little bit of recreation, and provides a natural setting for those looking to learn more about their local environment. It seems like that something new can be discovered about the river every single day.

But like all good things, the Crow River, too, must sadly come to an end.

However, we here at CREEC like to think it’s more of a continuation of the journey rather than a true end. Like many other rivers in Minnesota, the Crow is a tributary* of the grand Mississippi River. Streaming for a total of 24.8 miles through five Minnesota towns, the Crow River acts as the dividing boundary between Wright and Hennepin county before making its final appearance in Dayton, MN where it meets the Mississippi.

And since the Crow merges into the Mississippi, meaning that our MN water will continue to flow as long as it does, we find it only appropriate to continue the journey by following alongside the Mississippi.

Similar to the Crow River, the Mississippi is divided into three sections: the Upper, the Middle, and the Lower. The Upper Mississippi runs from its headwaters (Lake Itasca, located in MN) to where it connects with the Missouri River in St. Lewis. Then it becomes the Middle Mississippi, which flows from St. Lewis to Cairo, Illinois. Lastly, it transfers over into the Lower Mississippi, which makes it way to the coast of Louisiana.

The Mississippi River is the fourth longest and fifteenth largest in the entire world. Flowing for over 2,300 miles, the Mississippi either boarders or passes through a total of 10 U.S. states. Even though it only runs through 1/5 of the country’s states, it drains all or part of 31 states and two Canadian provinces.

Due to its mere size, the river is also well known for the various recreational activities it can host throughout the summer season. There’s the typical canoeing, kayaking, boating, and fishing, but recently there has also been the growing trend of paddle boarding and even a little bit of white water rafting.

Finally, the mighty Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It is here that the fresh and salt water begin to mix, signaling the end of our river travels.

*For those who are not familiar with water terms, being a tributary means that a river flows into/merges into a typically much larger river or even lake.