Gorgeous Vintage Maps of the Mississippi River’s Path Over Time

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Over time the Mississippi River has changed course due to the silt and sediment of its channel blocking the water’s path, forcing it to alter direction and find a new route to the Gulf of Mexico. Harold N. Fisk colorfully charted the 2,320 mile long river in 1944. His drawings of rainbow ribbons serve as a reconstruction of the river’s twisting timeline in a perhaps unintentionally beautiful way. The maps are almost like a contemporary version of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa . Click through below for more.

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk [Spotted via Neatorama/Visual News]

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk

Image credit: Harold N. Fisk