The Corn Belt
The Corn Belt |
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The photo below was taken on the Illinois flood plain across from Canton Missouri. The crop you see is soy beans. The tree line upper right marks the river. Look carefully just in front of that tree line and you can see the levee. 
It's folly to try and live on the flood plain, for even though most of it is now protected by levees, the Mississippi has clearly shown us that those levees are of no account should it decide to flex its muscle. In the summer of 1993 many of the levees proved worthless. So the flood plain is mostly empty of cities and towns, just an occasional farm house (often built on stilts) dots the landscape. Towns and cities on the river are typically built on the bluffs--Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge, Memphis. I love the solitude of the flood plain. Isaac and I often drive the small gravel roads that crisscross the corn, soybean, and cotton fields looking for access to the levees. In many cases you can drive the top of the levees. In some places they're even paved. Just south of Columbia Illinois you can get on top of the levee and drive over forty miles all the way down to the lock and dam on the Kaskaskia river. Often you can make the entire trip without encountering another soul. The view from the top of the levee is spellbinding. The Mississippi flood plain contains the most fertile soil on earth. It's beautiful brown black, moist, and warm in the afternoon sun. I love to watch the cycle of life on the flood plain. I watch the farmers plough it up in the Winter and Spring and then I watch the small green shoots of corn and soybeans start to grow. In the summer the corn is so high that all the roads through the flood plain are like a maze. In the fall the corn stalks turn brown and the soybean leaves yellow. If you're far enough south you can see rice paddies ready for harvest in Arkansas or the Autumn snow of ripe cotton fields in Mississippi. When the harvest is in I watch the farmers burn the stubble off their fields. Then comes the Winter's snow and sometimes late Winter's floods. Here in the Corn Belt the Mississippi grows into adulthood. In the Headwaters and Upper Midwest the river is graceful and beautiful. Here more than anywhere else the Mississippi has been tamed. Here are the greatest concentration of locks and dams on the river. In 1913 the massive lock and dam at Keokuk became operational with its 38 foot lift, making it possible for the first time to move a full sized tow all the way from St. Louis to the Twin Cities. The larger cities are on the west or Iowa side of the river. Dubuque, Clinton, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, Fort Madison and Keokuk are all small to mid-sized Iowa cities. Like the river here these are working cities. Gone is the heavy emphasis on tourism and recreational activities that you see further north in places like Red Wing, Lake City, Prairie du Chien, etc. Here the banks of the river are crowded with huge plants like the livestock feed plant in Muscatine or the soy bean processing plant in Quincy. Many of the industries have an agricultural base.
Obvious problems? The crime rate's low. The infastructure is sound. The economy is healthy. Unemployment is low to nonexistent. The environment is cleaner than it was and getting cleaner still. Even the teenagers that I met on the streets were friendly and well-mannered. In casually traveling through the area for a number of weeks I saw only two things that worry me. One concern of mine is the lack of racial/ethnic diversity. Although not as severe as in the far northern reaches of the Mississippi, it is still obvious here. The Midwest, with St. Louis as a focal point, is presently experiencing a new wave of immigration. How the heartland responds to these newcomers will be a true test of our nation's strength. I hope and pray that the instinct that has led these new immigrants to seek out the Mississippi Valley will prove sound. My other concern is with, what I consider to be a blight on the river, gambling. Gambling on the river (with the exception of a few Native American reservations) begins in Iowa. Minnesota and Wisconsin prohibit it, and so across the river from Prairie du Chien in the small historic Iowa town of Marquette sits the first riverboat casino. Absurd in light of the traditions and beliefs of the people who founded these towns, it is also a threat to the economic and moral health of the community. It's a good metaphor--heartland, but I prefer another one. This region of the country is the nation's backbone--it's spine, and I'm pleased to report that we've got a strong healthy back that can shoulder the load. It really is refreshing and reassuring to spend some time in this part of the country. You come quickly to realize that the picture of America painted for us day in and out by the media is a complete fallacy and a sick joke. Just as I suspect your average Mr./Ms. beautiful TV news anchor couldn't name three of the Quad Cities to save their ignorant behinds, it's here I know that the values, and traditions that are the cornerstone of our nation are preserved and cherished. As Meredith Wilson told us in song:
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People ask me what's my favorite section of the river. I usually dodge the question and hand them some spiel about how all the river is wonderful. How could you possibly try and weigh say Spring azaleas and wisteria in profusion along the river in Mississippi against glorious Fall colors on the bluffs in Wisconsin. But honestly I do have a favorite part of the river--just a little favorite. I love the flood plain. It shows up first here in the corn belt and then extends in sections all the way to the gulf. North of the Illinois state line the river is bounded closely on both sides by majestic bluffs. As you move south on the river between Illinois and Iowa, patches of flood plain begin to show up. At first it occurs in small sections--still not quite flat. Across the river from Keokuk and just a little south is the forgotten town of Warsaw Illinois. South of Warsaw the bluffs snake away from the river and lay open a huge flood plain. From here on down the bluffs move in and out sometimes exposing over four miles of flood plain and sometimes swinging right back to the river's edge. The same happens on the west side of the river but to a lesser degree.
There are some notable exceptions such as Cairo Illinois, Greenville Mississippi, New Madrid Missouri, etc., but these communities pay a price to live day in and day out behind a fifty foot wall of dirt and rocks always wondering if this will be the year.
In the Corn Belt, with its flow bolstered by the St. Criox, the Chippewa, the Wisconsin, and dozens of lesser rivers, the Mississippi becomes strong. The Mississippi is a working river and here in the Corn Belt the focus is on work. Commercial tow traffic on the river is heavy and increasing.
This part of the country is referred to as the nations heartland with good reason. Here you'll find working class and middle class America reigning triumphant. With the exception of the Quad Cities there are no slums. A careful drive through one of these cities will reveal at best a lower class neighborhood, but with the housing stock intact and for the most part cared for. Likewise there is scant evidence of obscene wealth and conspicuous consumption. Surely those with excess wealth who live in this region would probably feel embarrassed to flaunt it. The city skylines contain few examples of newer construction. The buildings they erected in the early 1900s were built to last and they've all been cared for with that expectation in mind. I imagine it would be an affront to the sensibilities of these people to replace a perfectly good building with a more modern one just for show. Rather, I saw example after example of 80 year old rock solid stone and brick buildings renovated to include modern air conditioning and energy conservation features.