Mapping the Mississippi

“A river, big or small, doesn’t stay still—as its waters flow it carves out new paths in a route towards its ultimate destination. Over time, the bends and curves of what seems like a static river snakes into new outlines. By looking at the geologic evidence, you can even map many of the paths a river once took—like looking at the past lives of the waters, the river’s ghosts.” — Kyle Hill on Nerdist.

In 1944, Harold Fisk, a cartographer for the Army Corp of Engineers, completed his “Geological Investigation of the Alluvial Valley of the Lower Mississippi River.” Shown in this playlist of beautiful maps, Fisk visualized the Mississippi River’s present and past bends.