Hannibal's Wall--Keeps the Elephants in and Flooding Waters Out (Just Kidding About the Pachyderms)
Towns along the Mississippi are generally 35 miles apart. This isn't by happenstance but was determined by the distance a paddlewheeler could go before needing to refuel. Selecting town locations this way has a huge downside: many of the towns are on ground which isn't high enough.
Paducah's Wall Tells Her History in Pictures
Walls and levees have been built to protect the towns. Seen from a boat, these walled cities look to be out of the Dark Ages. Heck, they even have huge iron gates through which the peasants can access the river ;-) River commerce made these towns wealthy. Seeing as that era has passed, I wonder if the river is more of a curse today.
Sometimes the River Wins
Tonight we're at the Yacht Club in Keokuk, Iowa, MM 366. All day we followed the towboat Mary K. Cavarra. Her speed and ours was about the same. Unable to pass we followed her through two locks. This added three hours to the trip. Today's average speed was 5.5 mph while turning 1950 rpm. We made 40 miles which increases the trip total to 3,748 miles. DBH
