BEGINNINGS

The state of Minnesota is popularly known as "The Land of 10,000 Lakes".

You can't go anywhere without finding another fishing spot.

One of them is a small lake in the northern part of the state known as Lake Itasca.

That's easier to remember than the Ojibwe name for it, which is Omashkoozoo-zaaga'igan.

What's notable about this lake is it is said to be the primary source of the Mississippi River, which then flows 2,340 miles (3,770 kilometers) before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

Now here's what Wikipedia says: 

The channel of the Mississippi as it emerges from the lake was bulldozed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, to create a more "pleasant experience" for visitors. The project included the draining of the surrounding swamp, the digging of a new channel, and the installation of a man-made rock rapids. The rocks are used by tourists for walking across the Mississippi River.

And sometime in the 1940's that's exactly what I did, helped along by my big brother. 

I must say that I looked a bit nonplussed by the whole experience.

But at least I can say that once upon a time I walked across the Mississippi River.

And not on no blamed bridge either.