WIRED Staff
Culture

Slideshow: Geek Trip Begins at Headwaters

The true beginnings of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota -- a spot that was a source of much debate in the 19th century -- mark the first stop in a 2,500-mile odyssey along the length of the mighty waterway. By Michelle Delio.
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The beginning of the Mississippi River, about half a mile from the river's headwaters

See related story: Geek Trip Begins at Headwaters

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Lake Itasca, source of the Mississippi River
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Within a few hundred miles of this spot where a visitor crosses, the river will be wide and deep enough to function as a commercial waterway.
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The start of the Great River Road, at the north exit of Lake Itasca State Park
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Driving through Lake Itasca Park. Autumn comes early in northern Minnesota.
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The mythical giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan
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The Great River Road serpentines alongside the Mississippi River, here about 100 miles from the headwaters.
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For sale, along the side of the Great River Road on the way to Bemidji, Minnesota
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The sign says it all.
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The official headwaters of the Mississippi river
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Visitors to the park hike 900 feet to the Mississippi River's headwaters, which are only 3 feet deep and 21 fat stepping stones broad at its source.
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Maid-Rite is the home of Loose Meat sandwiches, a Midwest delicacy that taste significantly better than you'd expect.
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A very sure-footed visitor to Lake Itasca State park crosses the Mississippi via stepping stones.
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Statue of Paul Bunyan and his faithful Blue Ox babe, in Bemidji, Minnesota.
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50 or so miles from its source, the Mississippi is beginning to develop into a sizable river.
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Two Latin words were combined to create the name Itasca, which stands for the true head (waters) of the Mississippi River.