Summary
Throughout the 1800’s, as the United States expanded north and west after the Louisiana Purchase, there were numerous explorers who came to northern Minnesota searching for the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Though the mouth was well known and much of the lower and middle river well charted, it proved to be difficult to find and map the ultimate source of the river which was though to be in the new northern territory of Minnesota. Members of the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education have been engaged in researching this history and creating a documentary series reenacting these various important expeditions, and the Italian explorer Giacomo Beltrami’s expedition of 1823 is the first to be completed. The hour long documentary will be shown, followed by hands-on activities on a giant NGS classroom floor map of Minnesota to learn experientially why the river’s source was so difficult to determine. Why is the “True Source” of the Mississippi River still a scientific and geographic question today? Where, Why There, Why Care? Join us to explore and learn more about this exciting topic in US historical geography, and learn how you too can use the film and associated activities with your students.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | U.S. History | Cartography, Exploration, Headwaters
Conference Room
Lewis
Meet the Presenters
Dr. Janet Rith-Najarian is a biogeographer and educator living in the northwoods of Minnesota, among the “Sky-Blue Waters” of her home state’s storied 10,000 lakes. Along with her past work doing surveys and research for various natural resource agencies, she is a certified National Geographic educator and teacher-consultant who has served many years on the steering committee for the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education.
She is also a Minnesota Master Naturalist, a “Teacher-Ranger” with the National Park Classroom program, a naturalist and instructor with the international Wild Wonder Foundation, and a mentor with the “Take Me Outside” Outdoor Learning Project. With an interest in historic cartography and scientific illustration, she has recently become an active member of the “Arts in Exploration Collective” of the RGBS. In her free time, she loves to go camping with her family and explore new places with her adventurous Geo-Dog.
Along with her colleague and fellow explorer and filmmaker Norwood Hall, Janet’s most recent work is as a geographic and environmental storyteller. Janet and Norwood are in the process of creating several documentaries, podcasts, and presentations about expeditions and famous explorers and natural scientists of the past, with a special focus on Minnesota explorers on the Mississippi River. Today’s NCGE workshop will include a screening of their documentary about early Minnesota explorer Giacomo Beltrami, along with inviting workshop participants to join in on an experiential expedition of Minnesota using an NGS Giant map and models of plants, animals, climate and more to build 3-D GIS layers of Minnesota’s landscapes and watersheds.
