The iconic Mississippi River Headwaters post in Itasca State Park, Minnesota, May 20, 2016. The historic marker dates back to the 1930s, and indicates the Mississippi River's total mileage at 2,552 miles. Since then the river's course has been shortened and altered by flooding and channeling. Every summer canoeists leave Lake Itasca to begin their river adventures, with hopes of reaching the Gulf of Mexico over 2,318 miles away. (<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/Itasca/headwaters.html">About the Mississippi River headwaters</a>)
USACE photo by Patrick Moes
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