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The river that changed American history: The Mississippi’s role in shaping a nation | World News – Times of India

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The river that changed American history: The Mississippi’s role in shaping a nation | World News – Times of India


The longest river in North America, the Mississippi River, along with its major tributaries, drains an area of almost 1.2 million square miles and carries water from nearly one-eighth of the continent. It starts at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows virtually due south across the continental interior. Halfway through its 3,766-kilometre journey to the Gulf of Mexico, where it void via a vast delta southeast of New Orleans, it is already fed by such important tributaries as the westward-flowing Missouri River and, to the east, Ohio River.

Role of Mississippi River in the United States of America

Economic importance
The Mississippi River is heavily involved in the transportation of goods, both domestic and international— such as agricultural produce, raw materials, and manufactured products—because it connects the United States with the Gulf of Mexico.It provides easy access to trade with other countries. It contains farmland (fertile) that is a larger part of farmland in any country, making it vital to agricultural produce likely to be grown there, such as soybeans, corn, and wheat.
Cultural and historical impact
The historical and cultural significance of the Mississippi river particularly played a strategic importance during the Civil war as the control of the river was the priority in seizing the main areas along the river that were majorly critical due to the war.
The Mississippi River also plays a significant role culturally as well. The river has inspired a great deal of American literature, music. This also includes Mark Twain’s books emphasising the river’s significance in the cultural identification of America.
Support for ecosystems and wildlife
The Mississippi River acts as the pillar of support for a varied range of ecosystems and wildlife. As it provides the habitat for numerous species of fish, birds and other animals. The flow of the river and the various wetlands being associated with it, played a significant role in the flood control. Numerous efforts were made to manage flooding as the floodplain of the river has been prone to flooding historically.
Demographic influence
Since the Mississippi river acts as the natural boundary for the various US states and marks as the historical marker for state borders.
This river flows through the major cities that include Minneapolis, St Louis, New Orleans etc. These cities hold a major significance in economic and cultural development.
Significance of Mississippi river
In terms of the significant role in shaping the Mississippi River, tourism, and fishing provide approximately $21.4 billion revenue annually supporting over 350000 jobs. The river and floodplain support around 400 different species of wildlife and protect the Mississippi river.
Being the country’s second longest river, the Mississippi provides water for drinking to millions of people and sustains an approximately $12.6 billion shipping industry. This river is one of the world’s important waterways, for trade, transportation and food.





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Mississippi

Mammoth discovery: 7-foot-long prehistoric tusk found in Madison County – SuperTalk Mississippi

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Mammoth discovery: 7-foot-long prehistoric tusk found in Madison County – SuperTalk Mississippi


A massive prehistoric discovery was made in central Mississippi with a seven-foot-long ice-age elephant tusk being found.

Earlier in August, geological survey scientists with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) were notified by avid artifact and fossil collector Eddie Templeton of the giant finding. Templeton was exploring rural Madison County when he stumbled upon the tusk in a steep embankment.

Knowing that leaving the fossil exposed to the current Mississippi heat could dry the tusk out and ultimately destroy it, he acted quickly and called experts to the scene. When paleontological scientists arrived at the fossil site, they found the fossil tusk in quality condition as it was only partially exposed just above the water under a bluff. Based on the strong curvature of the massive tusk, it was suspected that they had encountered a Columbian mammoth and not that of the more common mastodon. This would be the first of its kind for the area.

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Mississippi was home to three Proboscideans during the last ice age: the mastodon, gomphothere, and the Columbian mammoth. All three possessed ivory tusks. Mastodons are by far the most common Proboscidean finds in Mississippi as they were browsers, like modern deer, and inhabited a variety of different environments. Mammoths, which were related to modern elephants, are far less common finds in Mississippi as they were open grassland grazers and would have been at home in only a select few environments, particularly the prairie regions of Mississippi. Gomphothere are more closely related to mastodon than to mammoths, but very little is known about their ice-age presence here in the Magnolia State as they are only known from a few isolated teeth found along the Mississippi River.

After carefully removing all of the substances covering the tusk to unveil the fossil in its entirety, it was discovered that the tusk had been deposited entirely intact — meaning it was one whole structure, instead of the more common makeup of fragments that are usually pieced together. 

Preservation methods then took place at the scene to have the fossil ready for transportation. The tusk was then delivered to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science for further curation and careful study. 

Once at the laboratory, the fossil tusk was confirmed by the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science paleontologist as indeed belonging to a mammoth. According to officials, Templeton’s discovery offers a rare window into the Columbian mammoths that once roamed Madison County along the Jackson Prairie of central Mississippi.

Columbian mammoths were much larger than the infamous woolly mammoth that roamed the colder, more northern regions of North America. They grew up to 15 feet at the shoulder and could weigh over 10 tons. These colossal mammals played an important role in maintaining the rich fertile prairie ecosystem, much as their modern elephant relatives do in other parts of the world today.

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MDEQ confirms that the ice-age prairie ecosystem of what is now Madison County was also home to herds of now-extinct horses and giant bison, along with giant ground sloths, giant tortoises, and tapirs. It was also home to a number of ice age predators such as dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, American lions, and even the earliest human inhabitants of our region.

More information can be found here.

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Mississippi coaching legend Moose Perry dies – The Vicksburg Post

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Mississippi coaching legend Moose Perry dies – The Vicksburg Post


Mississippi coaching legend Moose Perry dies

Published 9:11 pm Sunday, August 11, 2024

Mississippi’s coaching fraternity has lost one of its most beloved members.

William A. “Moose” Perry, who coached baseball at Mississippi College and several high schools in the Jackson Metro area during a career that lasted more than 50 years, died Saturday.

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Perry, a Jackson native who got his nickname “Moose” in childhood because of his size, began his coaching career as an assistant at Jackson Central in 1969. He was hired as the head coach at Forest Hill in the early 1970s and quickly turned the South Jackson school into a state power.

Led by twin brothers Stan and Stewart Cliburn, both future major leaguers, the Rebels finished 29-1 in 1974 and won the MHSAA Class AA state championship.

Perry was hired as the baseball head coach at Mississippi College — his alma mater — in 1976, and in 2022 the school named its hitting facility in his honor.

Perry returned to high school baseball after his brief tenure at Mississippi College. He had coaching stints with Byram, Raymond, Central Hinds Academy and Rebul Academy.

Rebul was his final stop, and he served as the head baseball coach, athletics director, assistant football and basketball coach, and a history teacher at the school in Learned for more than 20 years.

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In 2023 Perry was inducted into the Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fame.

Perry also worked as a high school umpire and founded The Lamb of God Christian mission in Jackson. He was a mentor and friend to numerous coaches, players and umpires throughout Mississippi.

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Former Mississippi State pitcher K.C. Hunt impresses in Biloxi Shuckers debut – SuperTalk Mississippi

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Former Mississippi State pitcher K.C. Hunt impresses in Biloxi Shuckers debut – SuperTalk Mississippi



K.C. Hunt has impressed this season with three different minor league teams. On Saturday, he made his first start as a member of the Biloxi Shuckers. (Photo from the MiLB/Matt Austin)

Former Mississippi State pitcher K.C. Hunt made his Double-A debut Saturday night with a solid outing for the Biloxi Shuckers.

While Biloxi could not muster up any offense to help Hunt out, the New Jersey native struck out eight over 5.1 innings of work with just one run allowed. The Shuckers fell 1-0 against the Montgomery Biscuits.

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Hunt was handed the ball just four days after being called up to Biloxi from High-A Wisconsin. The right-hander is expected to get another chance at starting when the Shuckers return to Keesler Federal Park to take on the Mississippi Braves in a six-game series between Aug. 13-18.

Between Wisconsin and Single-A Carolina this season, Hunt compiled a 7-1 record with a 1.95 earned run average over 19 appearances, with eight being starts. Even though he was tabbed with the loss on Saturday, Hunt’s ERA in Double-A remains lower than his compiled season average before the latest promotion.

After playing three seasons for the Bulldogs, including helping the program to its first national championship in 2021, Hunt signed an undrafted free-agent deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Since then, he has steadily been climbing through the ranks with Biloxi being his fourth team in two years. As of the latest rankings, Hunt is considered the No. 29 prospect in Milwaukee’s farm system.

During his time in Starkville, Hunt made 62 appearances splitting time as a starter and a reliever. While he did have a career 7.67 ERA, Hunt came through in multiple big games over his collegiate career. As a senior in 2023, after turning down a contract from the Pittsburgh Pirates to return to Mississippi State, he was the second on the team with 55 strikeouts.

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