♪ >> IN ITS NATURAL STATE, THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER HAD NUMEROUS BACK CHANNELS OR SIDE CHANNELS.

IT HAD LARGE WETLAND AREAS, IT WAS FULL OF SAND BARS, IT WAS A VERY SHALLOW RIVER AND ONE THAT WENT UP AND DOWN.

A LOT OF FLUCTUATION IN IT.

THE RIVER AT THIS TIME DID NOT HAVE ONE SINGLE CHANNEL DOWN WHICH A STEAMBOAT COULD GO, THERE MIGHT BE A CHANNEL THAT RAN ALONG ONE PART OF THE RIVER FOR A WHILE AND YOU'D HAVE TO STOP AND YOU HAD EAVE HAVE TO CROSS THE CHANNEL AND FIND WHERE IT STARTED GAIN AND PICK IT UP FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

>> THE ARMY CORPS WITH CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL EMBARKED ON AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO IMPROVE THE RIVER FOR STEAMBOAT TRAFFIC.

>> IN THE 4.5-FOOT CHANNEL, THE PROJECT UNDER WHICH THE -- THE PROJECT WHICH WAS DOCUMENTED IS THE FIRST EFFORT TO SYSTEMATICALLY IMPROVE THE MISSISSIPPI, TO MAKE IT A REAL NAVIGATION ROUTE, A VIABLE NAVIGATION ROUTE AND A ROUTE THAT CAN BE COMPETITIVE WITH RAILROADS.

>> TO FOCUS THE RIVER FOR STEAMBUT TRAFFIC, THE CORPS BEGAN CONSTRUCTION ON A SERIES OF WING DAMS.

>> DAMS THAT WOULD HELP PROJECT INTO THE RIVER AND NARROW IT LIKE A GARDEN HOSE BEING TURNED DOWN SO THE FASTER IT GOES, THE MORE SEDIMENT IT CAN CARRY AND IT CAN SCOUR ITSELF AND SCOUR AWAY SAND BARS.

>> HE'S GOT IT COMPOSED SO YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY THE PROCESS THE LAYING DOWN OF THE BRUSH, THE CREW THAT'S WORKING PUTTING DOWN THE BRUSH AND THE ROCK GOING ON DO NOT -- DOWN ON THE WING DAM, SO ONLY TAKES YOU ABOUT 35 SECONDS TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE WING DAMS WERE BUILT AND THING THING IS THE WING COMES WERE BUILT WITH LOCAL PRODUCTS.

SORT OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OF A VERY INTERESTING SORT.

WILLOWS CUT ALONG THE RIVER AND STONE OUT OF THE BLUFFS ALONG THE RIVER, SO USING THE RIVER TO REDEFINE ITSELF AND THEN OF COURSE MAKE THE CHANNEL MORE STABLE.

>> THE 4.5-FOOT CHANNEL PROJECT AND THE LATER 6-FOOT CHANNEL PROJECT MADE RIVER NAVIGATION EASIER.

THE TREACHEROUS AND EVER-SHIFTING RIVER THAT YOUNG SAMUEL CLEMENS HAD PLIED AS A STEAMBOAT PILOT IN THE 1860s HAD BEEN CHANGED FOREVER.

THE CORPS HOPED THE CONTINUOUS CHANNEL WOULD REVIVE A DECLINING STEAMBOAT INDUSTRY BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE.

BY THE LATE 1880S, ANOTHER FORM OF STEAM TRANSPORTATION HAD COME INTO ITS OWN.

♪ >> AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, STEAMBOAT TRAFFIC BEGINS TO DECLINE BECAUSE ABOUT EIGHT RAILROADS HAD REACHED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, ONE HAD CROSSED IT.

WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE CIVIL WAR, THREE BRIDGES CROSSED THE RIVER IN WAY ALONE.

WHEN THE RAILROADS REACHED THE MISSISSIPPI, THEY SIMPLY INTERRUPT THROUGH COMMERCE BETWEEN St.

PAUL AND St.

LOUIS, STEAMBOATS SIMPLY GO TO LA CROSSE OR TO SOME OTHER TOWN AND DROP OFF THEIR GOODS, SO YOU SEE SHORT HAULS VERSUS THE LONG HAUL.

>> AS THE RAILROADS BEGAN CROSSING THE REFER AND PARALLELLING IT, THEY TOOK AWAY ALL TRAFFIC FROM THE MISSISSIPPI KEPT THE TIMBER.

BUT LATER THAT DISAPPEARED AS THE WHITE PINE FROM MINNESOTA WAS LOGGED OFF IN THE LATE 1880s.

>> THE SUM OF THESE PICTURES INDICATES TO ME THAT HE KNEW THE RIVER BOAT ERA WAS DRAWING TO AN END, NOT THAT THERE WOULD BE AN END TO RIVER BOATS BUT THE RIVER BOAT AS A HUMAN PASSAGE OR TRANSPORT, AS A MAIL CARRIER, AS A PACT BOAT, HE KNEW THAT WAS OVER.

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS SHOT FROM THE VIEW OF THE BLUFFS UP CITY, I THINK THIS IS THE MOST PICTURESQUE, YOU HAVE THE WONDERFUL VALLEY OF THE RIVER, YOU SEE THE BLUFFS, YOU SEE THIS LONESOME STEAM BOAT PUSHING A BIG RAFT OF LOGS.

BUT YOU GET A SENSE OF THIS GUY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE VALUE WAS BEING LOGGED OFF, THE BOAT THAT HAD BROUGHT PEOPLE TO THE VALLEY WERE ALSO GOING TO CHANGE THE NATURE OF THE VALLEY.

SO HE PICKED UP SOME WONDERFUL SHOTS OF THE CHANGE IN THE ECONOMY OF THE VALLEY AND ALSO, I THINK, HAD A SENSE OF THE BEAUTY OF THESE SMALL TOWNS.

ONE PHOTOGRAPH OF GENOA, WHICH IS REALLY QUITE A NICE SETTING BUT IN THIS SHOT, GOLLY, THAT'S -- AGAIN, WE HAVE THIS