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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Ranger Brian introduces you to River Transportation!
I WONDER...
I WONDER...
- Why/How did people travel on and around the river?
- Why/How was the river used for transporting goods?
- How does a lock work?
VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY
Click the drop-down list to know your RIVER TRANSPORTATION words!
Click the drop-down list to know your RIVER TRANSPORTATION words!
Barge - a flat-bottomed boat for carrying cargo, usually on rivers.
Ferry - a boat that carries people, vehicles and cargo.
Lock - a chamber of water that fills and empties to allow navigation between two parts of a river that are not at the same level.
Log drive - transporting logs to sawmills by floating them on a river.
Navigate - control movement or steer a boat or plane.
Portage - carry a boat or its cargo between navigable waters.
River pig - person who floats logs down the river to the sawmill.
River system - a series of connected rivers.
Riverboat - a boat designed to navigate shallow waters and transport passengers.
Towboat - a powerful boat that pushes barges.
Tributary - a river that flows into a larger river.
Wanigan - a floating shed used for cooking or sleeping during log drives.
Wheat - a grain that is ground to make flour for breads.
LEARN IT
LEARN IT
Understand how transportation helped shape the Twin Cities!
SLIDE DECK - Mississippi River Transportation
A guided history of transportation on the Mississippi
A guided history of transportation on the Mississippi
VIDEO - The Last Days of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock
See how a lock works!
See how a lock works!
VIDEO - 360º Video of Upper St. Anthony Falls and Lock
Take a close 360º look at the lock and falls - just click and move your cursor as the video plays!
Take a close 360º look at the lock and falls - just click and move your cursor as the video plays!
DO IT
DO IT
Get in the driver's seat with transportation!
ACTIVITY - Aluminum Foil Shipwreck
Try out this fun activity and be the captain of your own ship - do you know what it takes to sink it?!
Try out this fun activity and be the captain of your own ship - do you know what it takes to sink it?!
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ACTIVITY - You are a Shipping Giant!
Track ships on the Mississippi River and learn more about what type of boats are afloat along this major waterway!
Track ships on the Mississippi River and learn more about what type of boats are afloat along this major waterway!
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KNOW IT
KNOW IT
Show what you know about river transportation with this quick self-assessment!
Try to answer each question, then click its drop-down menu to see the correct answer.
Try to answer each question, then click its drop-down menu to see the correct answer.
Multiple Choice: What do we call a series of connected rivers?
A. River Highway
B. River System
C. Riverboat Road
D. Great River Road
Answer: B
A series of connected rivers is called a river system.
Multiple Choice: Which type of navigation was most common on the Mississippi River 1000 years ago?
A. Stone boats
B. River pigs on floating logs
C. Canoes, such as those used by Dakota and Anishinaabe people
D. Navigation didn't exist yet.
Answer: C
Native people, such as the Dakota and Anishinaabe, have used canoes on the Mississippi River system for over 1000 years.
Multiple Choice: Why did logging companies float logs down the Mississippi River?
A. The river flowed to Minneapolis.
B. The river flowed to sawmills by the waterfall.
C. Logs float.
D. All of the above
Answer: D
All of the above are true. Logs could be placed into any river within the river system, and floated to the sawmills in Minneapolis.
True or False: A ferry is a type of boat.
A. True
B. False
Answer: A
Ferrys are boats that transport vehicles or wagons and people. They travel back and forth on the same route each trip.
Fill in the Blank: Barges are pushed by _________.
A. Riverboats
B. Towboats
C. Ferrys
D. The river's current
Answer: B
Towboats push barges. But if a barge breaks lose it will be pushed by the river's current.
True or False: One barge can carry as much grain as 58 semi trucks.
A. True
B. False
Answer: A
One barge holds 52,500 bushels of grain. A grain hauling semi truck holds 910 bushels of grain.
Multiple Choice: Why are train tracks often built next to rivers?
A. So that passengers can see and enjoy the river
B. Because wheat grows in river valleys
C. To compete with riverboats
D. Because the land next to rivers is flat and level
Answer: D
Trains don't go up hill very well. Train tracks require flat, level land.
Multiple Choice: Which of the following is the best bicycle route?
A. Meeker Island Lock and dam
B. Great River Road
C. Mississippi River Trail (MRT)
D. Wanigan
Answer: C
The Mississippi River Trail (MRT) is a multi-use trail for bicycles, hikers and other activities.
Multiple Choice: According to the video, The Last Days of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock, why was this lock closed?
A. To conserve water
B. To save on labor costs
C. The lock is too old to repair
D. To stop the spread of Silver carp and Bighead carp
Answer: D
The United States Congress did not give a reason for closing the lock. But, many people were concerned about the spread of invasive species such as silver carp and bighead carp.
True or False: Sometimes transportation structures, like dams, make it hard for fish to migrate or travel.
A. True
B. False
Answer: A
Many species of fish need to migrate, or move to habitats where they can spawn, feed, find shelter, and escape extreme temperatures or water flows. Sometimes the fish cannot get around man-made structures in the rivers.
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