It’s hard to visit America’s greatest river without wanting to take a few photos—and the same was true a century ago. Here’s a collection of historic photos from along the Mississippi that show what the river looked like in days past. While a lot has changed on the route since these photos were taken, the river is as impressive today as it was in the steamboat era. If you’ve traveled the route before, you may even recognize some of these spots.
Steamboats in New Orleans, 1890
Eagle Point Bridge, Dubuque, Iowa, 1960s.
Jackson Street, St. Paul, Minn., 1905
Riverboat near Vicksburg, Miss., 1936
Lake Itasca – Mississippi River headwaters, 1936
New Orleans levee, 1903
Family at Dyess Colony, Arkansas, 1935
Memphis sunset, 1900
New Orleans panorama, 1910
Eads Bridge, St Louis, late 1960s