The Mississippi River flows through Minnesota for 694 miles, which amounts to about 30% of its total length. The source of the Mississippi River is said to be Lake Itasca located in north central Minnesota, an area in Minnesota is called the Headwaters area. This Lake is found in southeastern Clearwater County.

However, there are streams that from out from Lake Itasca and could be considered to be an extension of the Mississippi River.

Wilderness Drive culvert, (47.1938090, -95.2306103)

West Arm Lake Itaska, (47.1963694, -95.2275592)

Lake Itasca, Minnesota

Rock Weir Ford, 47.239722, -95.207778

Itasca Log Bridge (47.2397308, -95.2080158)

Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Bridge (47.24014056, -95.2098056)

Mississippi Headwaters Trail Bridge (47.2408288, -95.2091759)

Wilderness Drive Bridge, CH 117 (47.2432595, -95.2110213)

Gulsvig Canoe Landing SH Bridge, SH 200 (47.2534615, -95.2254881)

210th Street Bridge, CH 37, (47.3111887, -95.2465485)

Great River Road Bridge, CH 2, (47.3261686, -95.2245988)

230th Street Bridge, CH 40, (47.3400854, -95.2097539)

270th Street Bridge, State Forest Rd (47.398889, -95.147778)

Centerville Road Bridge, CH 5 (47.433333, -95.130278)

Becida Road Bridge, CH 7 (47.4353504, -94.9984873)

Fern Lake Road Bridge, (47.4530333, -94.9489355)

Jefferson Avenue Bridge, CH 11 (47.4511227, -94.9066872)

Voyageur Highway, US 2, 71 (47.4456179, -94.8889650)

Yellowhead Road Bridge, (47.4461520, -94.8881545)

Lake Irving (47.4532632, -94.8812364)

BNSF Rail Road Bridge, (47.4663975, -94.8792955)

Soo Line Rail Road Bridge, Abandoned-Removed (47.4668819, -94.8784064)

Old Midway Drive Bridge, Closed (47.467500, -94.878611)

Nymore Bridge, Great River Road SH 197, Old US 2 (47.4675859, -94.8776543)

Lake Bemidji,

Former NP Railway Bridge, Paul Bunyan State Trail, (47.4917421, -94.8343979)

Lake Avenue Bridge, CH 19, (47.4915468, -94.8322059)

Stump Lake-Dam (47.4836743, -94.7295753)

Power Dam Road, Great River Road, CH 12 (47.4828546, -94.7275651)

Roosevelt Road, Great River Road, CH 8 (47.4534552, -94.7113087)

Wolf Lake, (47.4350123, -94.6877087)

Great River Road, CH 8 (47.4381411, -94.6719574)

Andrusia Lake, (47.4378058, -94.6591877)

Mission Bridge, Great River Road, CH 33 (47.4337365, -94.6432083)

Allens Bay, Cass Lake, (47.4304977, -94.6404775)

Cass Lake Knutson Dam, Knutson Dam Bridge (47.4500008, -94.4839348)

Great River Road Scenic Highway, CH 39 (47.4546236, -94.4746659)

Forest Service Road 2171, (47.4443027, -94.4253501)

Lake Winnibigoshish, (47.4168321, -94.3289295)

Lk. Winn. Dam Road, Great River Road, Itasca CH 9 (47.4295585, -94.0512303)

Little Winnibigoshish Lake, (47.4122262, -94.0309598)

Voyageur Highway, US 2 (47.32478919, -93.9595255)

Source: (47.1832300, -95.2355614)

Nocolet Lake (47.1841569, -95.2351021)

Little Nicolet Lake (47.1865127, -95.2378205)

Boutwell Creek (47.2077750, -95.2200769)

French Creek (47.2269508, -95.2074561)

Lake Itasca Mouth (47.2397620, -95.2076520)

Sucker Creek (47.2596361, -95.2294383)

Bear Creek (47.3431132, -95.2055209)

Little Mississippi River (47.4375804, -95.0655761)

Lower Bootleg Creeks (47.437662421134974, -95.01117936608787)

Upper Bootleg Creeks (47.438528986371104, -95.0097716097818)

Lake Irving (47.4533143, -94.8814017)

Lake Bermidji (47.4676464, -94.8772940)

Ose Lake outflow (47.4400317, -94.6907206)

Wolf Lake (47.4345983, -94.6873119)

Allens Bay, Cass Lake, (47.4304977, -94.6404775)

Cass Lake Knutson Dam, Knutson Dam Bridge (47.4500008, -94.4839348)

Lake Winnibigoshish, (47.4168321, -94.3289295)

Raven Creek (47.4575589, -94.2755137)

Castle Creek (47.5504531, -94.3095828)

Third River (47.5338886, -94.2792348)

Pigeon River (47.5113046, -94.1605440)

First River (47.5162806, -94.0437908)

Little Winnibigoshish Lake, (47.4122262, -94.0309598)

Source: (47.1832300, -95.2355614)

Nocolet Lake (47.1841569, -95.2351021)

Little Nicolet Lake (47.1865127, -95.2378205)

Leach Lake River (47.3016751, -93.9035669) ***

Ga-Gwa-Dosh Creek-Elk Lake (47.1983560, -95.2221983)

Lake Itasca Mouth (47.2397620, -95.2076520)

LaSalle Creek (47.3572800, -95.172872)

Hennepin Creek (47.4163105, -95.0833904)

Schoolcraft River (47.4438977, -94.8924648)

Lake Irving (47.4533143, -94.8814017)

Lake Bermidji (47.4676464, -94.8772940)

Wolf Lake (47.4345983, -94.6873119)

Allens Bay, Cass Lake, (47.4304977, -94.6404775)

Cass Lake Knutson Dam, Knutson Dam Bridge (47.4500008, -94.4839348)

Lydick Brook (47.4321880, -94.3978642)

Lake Winnibigoshish, (47.4168321, -94.3289295)

Little Winnibigoshish Lake, (47.4122262, -94.0309598)

The Treaty of Paris, 1783, provided that the United States′s northwest boundary should extend from the northwest angle of Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi river, which put Lake Itasca on this boundary.

Some time later, this boundary was changed to the the forty-ninth parallel where it crosses Lake of the Woods west to the Straight of Georgia in Washington state, bypassing the Mississippi river all together.

Presently located in Itasca State Park, Lake Itasca was discovered by Henry R. Schoolcraft in 1832. When Schoolcraft arrived in 1832, he renamed it Lake Itasca, which is derived from parts of the Latin words Veritas Caput, which he understood to mean True Head.

Lake Itasca was originally call by the Ojibwe: Omashkoozo-zaagaigan, and the French referred to it as Lac La Biche, both names names when translated to English mean Elk Lake.

But wait, that is not all! There are several upstream drainages into Lake Itasca, which would indicate that there is more to the Mississippi River than just Lake Itasca. In fact, there are Boutwell Creek, Elk Lake outlet, and Nicolet Creek. Of these, Nicolet Creek is the furthest from the outlet of Lake Itasca into the Mississippi River. Therefore, the logical choice of extension of the Mississippi River would be Nicolet Creek.

Leaving Lake Itasca, the Mississippi river flows under the first bridge, a foot bridge about forty feet long, along the parking lot, then out of the Itasca State Park state park and soon comes to a road that has come to be know as The Great River Road.

The Great River Road is a national highway which follows the river from the source in Minnesota to the mouth in Louisiana, and most often along both sides of the river. Too, because this highway traverses ten states, the highway designation and name changes often.

Nevertheless, the entire national highway is marked with a special sign, one that has a riverboat wheel which in the center of the wheel is a riverboat and on the main body of the wheel are the words, Great River Road together with the name of the State where the highway is located.

From the source, Lake Itasca, the Mississippi flows north from Lake Itasca for 63 miles and then east from Bemidji, Minnesota to Grand Rapids, Minnesota before it begins it′s southerly flow to the Gulf of Mexico.

The reason for this initial flow to the north and then to the east is that the river has to move around the glacial sand hills of the Itasca Moraine, doing so as it continually seeks a lower elevation.

However, upon leaving the lake, the river flows under the first bridge, a wooden foot bridge.

Once the flows out of the state park, It winds, and curves through the countryside while the Great River Road follows not far away. In some locations, the river flows under more bridges.

Leaving east out of Bermidiji, Minnesota, the Mississippi river flows in an easterly direction first through Lake Bermidiji, then Cass Lake and Winnibigoshish Lake to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In this eastern flow of the Mississippi river, the Great River Road is on US 2. After leaving Grand Rapids, the river turns and begins it′s flow south to the Gulf of Mexico.

South from Grand Rapids, the Mississippi river heads south then curves back to the southwest, south again and then curves to the southeast to St. Cloud, Minnesota and then continues southeast through the megalopolis areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where shortly after flowing through that valley plain, it comes to the confluence with the St. Croix river, the location wherein the Mississippi becomes the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Mississppi River exits it′s path through the center of Minnesota at the confluence with the St Croix, where it flows south as the border between the next nine states and does not leave those state borders until just past it′s confluence with the Red River when it enters into Louisiana and continues in that state alone to the Gulf.