"Everyone thought I was nuts when I started building the Padelford. But this river has been wonderful to me. What could be a better life than to go to the river each day and call it work?"

Captain Bill Bowell, founder of the Padelford Packet Boat Company.

Bill Bowell passed away last Tuesday, at the age of 90. After visiting the Padelford with a group of artists on Friday, David Wiggins told me about the Captain William Bowell River Library in Dubuque, Iowa. It contains over 2,000 books about the Mississippi from Bill’s personal collection. I think Shanai and I have a destination for our next weekend road trip planned.

Paul Verret, president of the St. Paul Foundation, had this to say about Bill: “He was the world’s best curmudgeon. He had the courage to start (the Padelford Co.) when nobody thought he could succeed … when nobody gave a hoot about the river. He showed people that paying attention to our riverfront was a way to help re-create this town.”

We’re sorry we never got to meet the guy, I think we would have had a lot to talk about. At the very least, I hope our little Megalops project inspires some people to keep giving a hoot about the river.

We Work Here

shanai-matteson:

This map is one of the most beautiful depictions of the Mississippi River that I’ve ever seen. Each color marks a different course that the river has taken throughout its history. If I ever write a book, I want this to be the cover.

(Fisk, 1944. Map of ancient courses of the Mississippi River, Cape Girardeau, MO - Donaldsonville, LA. Plate 22-8.).

Awesome.