Social and Political background of Mississippi River

Myths and legends

The Delta
The Delta is overpowering Protestant, with considerable diversity among congregations and sects. Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches are commonly represented in Delta towns, but so are various evangelical beliefs, ranging from Primitive Baptist through Church of the End Times.

The older churches in the Black community include the Missionary Baptists (MB) and African Methodist Episcopalians (AME) who trace their origin back to 1788 when they were founded by Freedmen. The Delta also played an important role in the origin of a derivative of the black Baptist church. Charles Harrison Mason, after meetings on courthouse steps in Jackson and in private homes, established the Church of God in Christ in a gin house in Lexington, Mississippi, Holmes County, in 1897. A small but permanent church was built later that year. Mason had originally been ordained a Missionary Baptist.

The Delta has a rich religious heritage, and is a land where faith- in God, in the future, in grace, and in ultimate redemption - unify all people.

Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church

A typical backroads Mississippi church

The Pepie
Derives from the numerous sightings of an unexplained creature or creatures surfacing from the depths of Lake Pepin in the Mississippi River. These sightings have taken place from both ship and shore. To date, none of these sightings have confirmed the existence of a new biological species.

Like most legends, Pepie is also a mythological creature. The myths are even more colorful and fantastic than the legend! Local mythology claims that Pepie is a shy, gentle, and playful creature. He especially loves to play on the surface of Lake Pepin when the waters are very, very calm and reflect the skyline of the beautiful forested bluffs that surround the Lake. When a full moon rises over the Lake, it is transformed into a magical playground that no aquatic creature can resist!Lake Pepin is also the home to many fresh water mussels, more commonly called "clams". These clams were once the source of a major industry on the upper Mississippi River, "Mother of Pearl" clothing buttons. Local mythology claims that one huge clam was the "Mother of all Lake Pepin Clams".Not only did all of the other clams descend from her, she also makes the largest pearls seen anywhere in the world! She is commonly referred to as "Clara the Clam". Clara is a friend of Pepies.

Clara and Pepie love to engage in her favorite water sport on those magical moonlit nights that occur on Lake Pepin. Since Pepie is a very, very fast swimmer, Clara ties a rope to him, straps on some water-skis and has Pepie pull her around the Lake as she skims across the surface of Lake Pepin on her water-skis. We are not saying that you will always catch a glimpse of Pepie or Clara when you visit Lake Pepin, but we do guarantee that you will always enjoy breathtaking scenery and sights that you will cherish forever!

The pepie

Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States.

The flood began when there is heavy rain at the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926. By September, the Mississippi's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to capacity. On New Year's Day of 1927, the Cumberland River at Nashville topped levees at 56.2 feet (17 m).

The Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places and flooded 27,000 square miles (70,000 km2). The area was inundated up to a depth of 30 feet (10 m). The flood caused over $400 million in damages and killed 246 people in seven states.

The flood affected Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Arkansas was hardest hit, with 14% of its territory covered by floodwaters. By May 1927, the Mississippi River below Memphis, Tennessee, reached a width of 60 miles (97 km).

Great Flood of 1993
The Great Flood of 1993 was among the most costly and devastating ever to occur in the United States, with $15 billion in damages. The hydrographic basin affected covered around 745 miles (1200 km) in length and 435 miles (700 km) in width, totaling about 320,000 square miles (840,000 km²). Within this zone, the flooded area totaled around 30,000 square miles (80,000 km²) and was the worst such U.S. disaster since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, as measured by duration, square miles inundated, persons displaced, crop and property damage, and number of record river levels. In some categories, the 1993 flood even surpassed the 1927 flood, at the time the largest flood ever recorded on the Mississippi.

The 2001 Flood at Upper Mississippi River
For many communities along the upper Mississippi River, the 2001 flood brought the second highest water levels on record. The 2001 flood crest exceeded the crests from the 1993 and 1997 flood at most locations. Only the 1965 flood was worse.

Over the winter of 2000 - 2001, there was heavy snow in southern Wisconsin, northern Iowa, and southern Minnesota. A late, rapid snowmelt combined with heavy rain, led to the flood. There were actually two flood crests in 2001 at many locations. The first occurred around April 20 to 25. Additional rain led to a second crest the week of April 29.

The early spring flood forecasts indicated only minor flooding along the Mississippi. In early April, it became apparent that rapidly warming temperatures and rain would lead to significant flooding. The National Weather Service issued new forecasts calling for near record flooding in many locations, and the sandbagging began.

Flooding also occurred along the Minnesota and St. Croix rivers, both of which flow into the Mississippi. Flooding also occurred along the Red River, which flows north into Canada from Minnesota and North Dakota.

At this time, May 22, the river has finally dropped below flood stage, after over a month above flood stage. Now, the cleanup can begin, and the extent of damage can be determined. There is damage, but it could have been much worse. Several communities built floodwalls or dikes after the 1965 flood, which protected those communities from major damage this time.