The Mississippi Valley Traveler Podcast
The Mississippi River has cut a deep path through the heart of America for thousands of years, but how well do we really know the river beyond Huck Finn and headline-grabbing floods? In this podcast, Dean Klinkenberg wades into stories about the characters and places from the big river’s past and present.
Episodes
70 episodes
Beyond Plantations: Getting to Know Louisiana’s River Road
Mary Ann Sternberg has spent twenty years challenging the idea that the River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is nothing more than rows of noxious chemical plants interspersed with 19th century plantation houses, so in this episode, we...
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Episode 70
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1:08:07
A French Village in the American Heartland: Historian Jim Gass on Sainte Genevieve, Missouri
In this episode, I talk with Jim Gass, Director of Research and Education at the Centre for French Colonial Life, about the long and rich history of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. We begin with a discussion of what we know about the indigenous peo...
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Episode 69
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1:18:46
Learning the Language of the Mississippi River with John Ruskey
In this episode, I interview long-time river guide and Sage of the Lower Mississippi, John Ruskey. John has been guiding and living on the Mississippi for nearly 30 years, so I start by letting him describe the Lower Mississippi River that he k...
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Episode 68
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1:12:47
The Mississippi’s Forgotten People: Life on Shantyboats and the Margins of American Society
A hundred years ago, shantyboat communities could be found along many rivers in the US. Historian Gregg Andrews went in-depth to research these communities, inspired in part by the discovery of a personal connection to them, which resulted in a...
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Episode 67
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1:20:32
Beyond Mark Twain: Faye Dant on Hannibal's African American Stories
You probably know a little bit about Hannibal, Missouri, because of the books written by a guy named Mark Twain, but I bet you don’t know much about the history of African Americans who’ve lived in Hannibal, even though Hannibal has had African...
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Episode 66
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1:08:10
Tips for Traveling the Great River Road, Part 2
Our summer road trip down the Great River Road continues in this episode. We start just after Lake Pepin and make our way to the Mississippi’s confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. Along the way, I’ll comment on the following place...
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Episode 65
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1:04:27
Tips for Traveling the Great River Road, Part 1
It’s summer and many of y’all will be hitting the road to travel and see something new (or revisit places you enjoy). I haven’t done a travel-themed podcast in a while, so in the next couple of episodes, I’m going to go over the highlights of d...
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Episode 64
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1:04:27
The Missouri River, Part 2: Channelization, Community, and Recreation
In this episode, we continue our detour along the Missouri River with part 2 of my conversation with Steve Schnarr from Missouri River Relief. In part two, Steve describes the process the Corps of Engineers used to channelize the river, how it ...
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Episode 63
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48:44
The Missouri River, Part 1: Geography, Ecology, and Human Impacts
In this episode, we detour off the main channel of the Mississippi River to get to know its longest tributary: the Missouri River. Our guide for this exploration is Steve Schnarr, Race Director for Missouri River Relief. We covered a lot of ter...
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Episode 62
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58:01
The First National Mississippi River Day: Building Community Around the Big River
February 1 is National Baked Alaska Day. April 14 is National Ex-Spouse Day, but April 22 marks Earth Day. We’ve had these (and more!) national days celebrating things silly and crucial, but we’ve never had a National Mississippi River Day. Unt...
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Episode 61
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47:08
River to Table: Josh Galliano on Campfire Cooking
In this episode, I have the pleasure of talking with accomplished chef and St. Louis area resident Josh Galliano. We talk about his path to becoming a chef and the family and cultural influences. He grew up in southern Louisiana near the Missis...
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Episode 60
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1:02:46
Murder on the Mississippi: Frank Dodge Explores Identity and Deception on the River
In 1964, four members of the Ku Klux Klan killed two African American men in Mississippi. The story of their murder and the following decades of stops and starts in the prosecution of their killers inspired my latest Frank Dodge mystery: Murder...
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Episode 59
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26:26
From Roots to Routes: Making the Leap to Full-Time RV Life
Living out of an RV or van seems more possible than ever before, and, based on what’s out there on social media, a lot of people have already taken the plunge. If you’re someone who is curious about what it takes to make the switch to full-time...
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Episode 58
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1:00:16
Holding Back the Waters: The Upper Mississippi Flood of 1965
In April 1965, the Upper Mississippi River surged to heights never before recorded, threatening to swallow entire towns whole. This episode plunges you into the chaos as the perfect storm—deep snowpack, torrential rain, and frozen ground—transf...
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Episode 57
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36:40
Before MLK: Iowa's 19th-Century Civil Rights Pioneers
In this week's episode, we uncover the surprising story of Iowa's pivotal role in African American civil rights. From the groundbreaking 1839 court case that made Iowa a free territory to the remarkable story of Charlotta Pyles—a formerly ensla...
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Episode 56
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25:21
Uncharted Currents: Jon Kukuk on Growing Up in a Small Town Next to the Mississippi River
You may never have heard of Dallas City, Illinois, but to the folks who grew up there, Dallas City was idyllic. The town had a small but diverse business community. Crime was rare and mostly petty stuff. The local streams, creeks, and woods fed...
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Episode 55
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1:14:20
Trash Talk: Inside America's Largest River Cleanup Organization, Living Lands & Waters
What started out as one guy with a jon boat picking up trash along the Mississippi in his hometown has since evolved into one of the largest, best known, most inspirational organizations in the country. In this episode, Educational Facilitator ...
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1:03:57
River Songs & Gratitude: Wrapping up 2024
A busy year is coming to an end, so we’re going to ease our way out of 2024 with a short episode that features a note of thanks and bonus interview content. This year, I asked eight interviewees to pick a song that represents something about th...
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Episode 53
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17:23
What Can the Mississippi’s Past Tell Us About Its Future? A Conversation with Historian John Anfinson
Historian John Anfinson has spent much of his adult life working in jobs that keep him close to the Mississippi River, first with the US Army Corps of Engineers, then later with the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a part of the ...
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Episode 52
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1:11:02
Traveling the Mississippi One Week at a Time: Anne Sherve-Ose's 13-Year Journey Down the River
Every year, dozens of people load up their canoes or kayaks and set out to travel the length of the Mississippi River. Anne Sherve-Ose and two friends took a different approach. Over the course of 13 years, they paddled the Mississippi River on...
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Episode 51
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50:29
The Dark Side of Steamboat Travel: The Disasters that Claimed Thousands of Lives on the Mississippi River
Steamboats revolutionized travel, dramatically shortening the time it took to get from place to place. When we think of the peak period of steamboat travel, we often picture images of tall boats with lacy trim and passengers dressed in finery r...
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Episode 50
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43:07
Much More than Snakes: The Unexpected Beauty and Unique Ecology of Snake Road
In this episode, I talk with wildlife biologist Mark Vukovich about the unique area known as Snake Road. Located about 40 miles south of Chester, Illinois, Snake Road passes through the LaRue-Pine Hills and Otter Pond Research Natural Areas. It...
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Episode 49
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1:13:07
Explorers, Egos, and the Search for the Elusive Mississippi River Headwaters
Today, we all know—assume—that the Mississippi River begins at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. How did we figure this out? Why does it matter? In this episode, I dig into the history of how European and American explorers searched the swamps...
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Episode 48
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35:48
Winged Wonders: Unraveling the Mysteries of Dragonflies and Damselflies
Amy Janik has a passion for winged creatures, which is how her professional career shifted from birds to insects in the order Odonata—dragonflies and damselflies. In this episode, we go deep into their world. After Amy describes how she got int...
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Episode 47
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43:15
When Change is Possible: General John A. Logan’s Journey from Defending Slavery to Advocating for Equal Rights
John A. Logan grew up in a well-to-do household in Murphysboro, Illinois, in the years before the Civil War. He had political ambitions early, maybe even from the moment he took his first breath, but the trajectory of his career took some remar...
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Episode 46
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1:06:03
