
About this episode
On this episode of Bear Grease, Clay Newcomb and John Barry, author of Rising Tide discuss two Civil War veterans who pioneered the doctrine of controlling this great river, Charles Ellett and Andrew Humphries. They’ll show us how their obsession and rivalry shaped the way we manage the river and how that led to one of the most costly natural disasters in American history. We learn about Mark Twain, America's most celebrated writer, who was obsessed with being a riverboat captain on the Mississippi River. He bottled American culture in his writing and sent it to the world. We’ll also learn about the great Mississippi River flood of 1927. We're continuing down the river on the third episode of this series on the Mississippi River. Like William Faulkner, we're in pursuit of understanding the world. We really doubt you're gonna want to miss this one.
Connect with Clay and MeatEater
Clay on Instagram
MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube
Shop Bear Grease Merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Bear Grease publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Bear Grease

Ep. 500: Conman - The Education of Little Tree (Part 1, Revisited)
Bear Grease

Introducing: Gunfighters, with Bryan Burrough
Bear Grease

Ep. 499: Backwoods University - Bear Talk
Bear Grease

Ep. 927: Brent's Manitoba Moose Hunt | 12 in '26
Bear Grease