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Very few people today have any memory of a relatively free-flowing Mississippi River. The scale and persistence of river engineering is staggering, and for many of us, the engineered Mississippi is the only Mississippi we have known. That’s one reason journalist Boyce Upholt’s new book is so important. In The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi, Boyce details our century-plus history of tinkering with the natural Mississippi to remake it into a river that suits our wants and needs.

In this interview, Boyce and I talk about how he got interested in the Mississippi, the relentless engineering projects we’ve pursued to alter the river for commerce and flood protection, who manages the river, and what values have ultimately been driving these changes. He describes the costs of these projects, not just the dollars but also the loss of ecosystems and wildlife. We finish by talking about the importance of making a personal connection to the Mississippi and how there are many ways to do so. This interview is ultimately a wide-ranging discussion of the river’s past and future.

In the Mississippi Minute, I praise John Ruskey and the Quapaw Canoe Company for how they’ve influenced me and the importance of their work bringing people to the river. The Quapaw Canoe Company has been struggling financially since the Covid pandemic, and they are currently running a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to secure their future. Please consider helping.