This book describes what it was like to live along the Mississippi River between 1820 and 1870. At 2,348 miles (3,779 kilometers) in length, the Mississippi is the second longest river in the United States. The longest is the Missouri River, at 2466 miles (3,969 kilometers). At this time, the Mississippi River was the country's main way to transport goods and people. This book focuses mainly on the river towns and cities of the central Mississippi River Valley. We have illustrated the book with drawings and paintings of people and places along the Mississippi River from this time period. We have also included artists' ideas of how people lived in the 1800s.