the river's journey

The River's Journey

Have you ever seen a river?A river is a large streamof flowing water. This riveris the Mississippi RiverIt flows through the United States

Look at this map of the United StatesIt shows where the Mississippi River beginsand ends. Let's follow the Mississippi Riveron its long journey

Where a river begins is called its source. The Mississippi River begins in a lakein Minnesota. It starts out as a small, clear stream.

Other small streams flow into the Mississippi River. The river gets biggerand faster. At the Falls of St. Anthony, the river flows through locks. Locks raiseor lower the water, helping boatsto travel on the river.

The Mississippi River flows downto lower land. It flows more slowly overthe flat land. It begins to wind backand forth. The flat land around the riveris called its floodplain.