Mississippi River Museum Provides Education

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — The Lower Mississippi River Museum uses hands-on displays to help people understand the lore and power of the world's third-largest watershed.

The museum was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and opened in August in downtown Vicksburg, Miss.

Director Sherry Jones says it's attracting about 2,000 visitors a month.

It features displays about the 1927 flood that deluged 27,000 square miles and displaced more than 160,000 families from Illinois south. Interactive kiosks offer glimpses into the lives of people who've traveled on or lived by the river for centuries.

Visitors can wander through the Motor Vessel Mississippi IV, dry-docked next to the building. From 1961 to 1993, the Corps of Engineers used the four-level towboat for its work, and the Mississippi River Commission used it for river inspections.