The River Basics
This is the approximate length of the Mississippi River
What is ~2,340 miles?
This Tennessee city sits on Chickasaw Bluff and is known for Beale Street
What is Memphis?
This Memphis recording studio launched the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and others
What is Sun Studio?
This Memphis barbecue style is defined by a spice rub rather than sauce
What are dry rub ribs?
This phrase is often used before “Mississippi” to emphasize its size
What is “Mighty”?
The Mississippi River ends in this body of water
What is the Gulf of America?
This Illinois city sits directly across from St. Louis on the Mississippi
What is East St. Louis?
This nickname for Highway 61 reflects its deep connection to blues history along the river
What is the Blues Highway?
This Delta staple dish often includes slow-simmered greens cooked with pork for flavor
What are collard greens?
This term refers to the rich cultural region along the lower river
What is “The Delta”?
This number of states border the river
What is 10?
This Mississippi city was the site of a pivotal Civil War siege that gave Union forces control of the river
What is Vicksburg?
This Mississippi Delta musician is often called the “King of the Delta Blues”
Who is Robert Johnson?
This corn-based dish, distinct from cornbread, is often boiled or baked and served in slices
What is spoonbread?
This Mark Twain character traveled the Mississippi River
Who is Huckleberry Finn?
This nickname reflects the river’s brown appearance
What is “The Big Muddy”?
This Minnesota city marks the northernmost navigable point of the Mississippi for commercial traffic
What is Minneapolis?
This Memphis-based record label helped define soul music with artists like Otis Redding
What is Stax Records?
This term describes cooking meat slowly over indirect heat, a defining feature of Memphis cuisine
What is pit barbecue?
This profession, once held by Mark Twain, involved navigating the Mississippi River’s shifting channels
What is a riverboat pilot?
This is the Mississippi River’s largest tributary
What is the Missouri River?
This city near Lake Itasca is considered the starting point of the Mississippi River
What is Bemidji?
This term describes the movement of blues musicians from the Delta to northern cities like Chicago
What is the Great Migration?
This crop’s dominance in the Delta drove both economic growth and historic labor systems
What is cotton?
This term, often used in literature, personifies the Mississippi River as a powerful, living force
What is “Old Man River”?