Mighty Mississippi Stamps

The Mississippi River is at the core of the nation's heritage and is variously referred to as America's backbone, its heart, andits soul. This issuance honors the Mighty Mississippi with a portfolio of ten exguisite photographic stamps, each representing astate along the course of the river. With five rows of two stamps each, the pane's arrangement corresponds to the states'north-south and west-east sequence.

Minnesota's stamp shows the Mississippi's source waters of Lake ltasca (photograph by Dana Holm); Wisconsin isrepresented by an autumn view of the Great River Road (photo by Jay Olson-Goude).

The lowa stamp shows the steamboat American Queen near the city of Bettendorf (photo by David Sebben); in linois, asailboat passes limestone bluffs adorned with fall foliage (photo by Walter Blackledge).

Missouri is represented by the St. Louis skyline at sundown, punctuated by the Gateway Arch (photo by Evan Spiler).

Kentucky is seen in the city of Wicklife, just downriver from where the Ohio River spils in (photo by Larry Braun).

An Arkansas levee curves parallel to a river meander near forest and farmland (photo by Mississippi River ParkwayCommission); in Tennessee, a towboat pushes an immense tow of cargo barges upriver toward Memphis (photo by M. yScanlon).

The New Orleans skyline and the twin-span Crescent City Connection bridges represent Louisiana (photo by Sean Pavone);and in the state of Mississippi, within the wilds of a delta bavou, cypress trees seem to drip with Spanish moss (photo by Ronevine).

The pane's verso features a map of the central United States detailing the river's course and major tributaries

By the end of an epic three-month, 2,300-mile journey, the Mississippi River's source waters-an unassuming trickle fromMinnesota's remote Lake ltasca-have been joined by streams pouring in from much of the nation. The river's waters thalpour into the Gulf of Mlexico come from a drainage basin of 1.2 million square miles, about 40 percent of the land in thecontiquous 48 states.

With relentless proress, diverse infuences, and determined wildness, the Mississippi River perfectly epitomizes the nation itshapes and serves.

Art director Ethel Kessler designed the pane using existing photographs.

The Mighty Mississippi stamps are being issued as Forevere stamps, Forever stamps are alwavs equal in value to the curentFirst-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Made in the USA