Recreation




The sport of water skiing was invented on the river in a wide region between Minnesota and Wisconsin known as Lake Pepin. Ralph Samuelson of Lake City, Minnesota, created and refined his skiing technique in late June and early July 1922. He later performed the first water ski jump in 1925 and was pulled along at 80 mph (130 km/h) by a Curtiss flying boat later that year.

There are seven National Park Service sites along the Mississippi River. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is the National Park Service site dedicated to protecting and interpreting the Mississippi River itself. The other six National Park Service sites along the river are (listed from north to south):

  • Effigy Mounds National Monument
  • Gateway Arch National Park (includes Gateway Arch)
  • Vicksburg National Military Park
  • Natchez National Historical Park
  • New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
  • Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

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