The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a 240,000-acre (970 km2), 261-mile long (420 km) National Wildlife Refuge located in and along the Upper Mississippi River. It runs from Wabasha, Minnesota in the north to Rock Island, Illinois in the south.
In its northern portion, it is in the Driftless Area, a region of North America that escaped being ice-covered during the last ice age. Certain parcels contained within the refuge were later transferred to the Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge is an important element of the Mississippi Flyway. It has many wooded islands, sloughs, and hardwood forests. The wildlife found here include the canvasback duck, tundra swan, white-tailed deer, and muskrat. Recreational activities include boating, hunting, fishing, and swimming.
Read more about Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge: Territory in Refuge
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Old fish at table, but young flesh in bed.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
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—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
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—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
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—Leigh Brackett (1915–1978)
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—Carson McCullers (1917–1967)