Where Goes The River

The First Canoe Trip from the Source of the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico

By: Albert S. Tousley

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A Minneapolis Reporter follows the boyhood dream to see Where Goes The River.

On Memorial Day, 1925, he embarked from the headwaters of the Mississippi River-Lake Itasca, and spent the next 105 days on the river, becoming the first person to have made the complete 2500-mile journey by canoe.

Averaging nearly 30 miles per day Tousley and his three separate companions, endured the elements and enjoyed the mighty grandeur of the river in the only way that one can truly experience it. . . by canoe. A 17-foot wood and canvas beauty named Charles H. Curly of St. Paul their canoe bore the brunt of everything and carried them down the river without tipping them over once.

Growing up on the shores of the mighty Mississippi, Tousley loved the big river and only grew more fond of it by journeys end. The largest watershed and one of the longest rivers in the world, the Mississippi River is an essential part of America. As Tousley puts it: "The Mississippi River is all that is best or worst in these United States. It is more American than any other thing or person or force or feature of this land."

A journey of epic proportions from a time when the steamboat was still king, Where Goes The River is reminiscent of the voyageurs and much more than a travelogue. The history and stories of the river, people and places enroute are of interest to anyone who loves America. The incidents of intermittent terror and "around the next bend" humor and philosophy will appeal to anyone who can relate to the paddle, and the descriptions of the awesome natural beauty and grandeur of the "father of waters" can help respark a kinship with the mighty Mississippi River.