S1 • E4 Jul 6, 2009 52m
Its name conjures images of America's mythical past, encoded in the stories and novels of Mark Twain. But today's Mississippi River is rife with challenges no 19th-century storyteller could have imagined. From issues of basic survival to triumphs of creativity and profit, this program follows the day-to-day lives of those who dwell on the Mississippi. Starting in the town of Cairo, Illinois - where America's north and south intermingle - the program moves on to Memphis, home of the once-glorious Stax Records and a mecca of blues, soul, and rock 'n' roll music. Moving through the Delta, viewers meet struggling shrimp fishermen, a Cajun community, survivors of the 1927 floods, and survivors of Katrina.
