Collection: Harold Fisk Mississippi River Map Prints Collection

Harold Fisk 1944 Mississippi River Maps of The Alluvial Valley Of The Lower Mississippi River

These Harold Fisk Mississippi River Meander map prints are giclee reproductions and features the ancient courses of the Mississippi River created by cartographer and geologist Harold Fisk for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in 1944. Each of the fifteen plates depicts a different portion of the Mississippi River and its various courses over time between Cape Girardeau, MO and Donaldsonville, LA.

The third image you see in each of these maps is all fifteen of the maps in this series superimposed over a map of the US. These maps are incredibly detailed, so if you're trying to locate a specific area, just send me a quick message and I'll get back to you quickly.

While these prints are from yesteryear, we've remastered them with the touch ups necessary to restore them to their original glory as much as possible without losing the vintage nature of the artwork. We will be adding all fifteen of these stunning maps, so be sure to check back often.

ABOUT HAROLD FISK

In 1944, Harold Fisk had been following ghosts for three years. His ghosts were of the meandering Mississippi. A river, big or small, doesn’t stay still – as its waters flow it carves out new paths in a route towards its ultimate destination.

Over time, the bends and curves of what seems like a static river snakes into new outlines. By looking at the geologic evidence, you can even map many of the paths a river once took – like looking at the past lives of the waters, the river’s ghosts.

In a report for the US Army Corps of Engineers, in 1944 Fisk had completed a mammoth effort entitled, “Geological Investigation of the Alluvial Valley of the Lower Mississippi River”. It was his best attempt at tracking the meanderings of the Mississippi’s present and past bends, visualized as gorgeous maps.

Of course, mapping over 2,000 miles of river and its previous structure based on the available physical evidence is a tall order (though Fisk completed the project in three years), so many of the colorful curves in Fisk’s maps are a combination of speculation, interpretation, and extrapolation. Nevertheless, his maps are an incredible visualization of a living river.

Be sure to check out our complete collection of all fifteen of these mesmerizing maps, the level of detail is incredible!