Holy Spirit River
The Holy Spirit River (French: Saint-Esprit; Spanish: Espíritu Santo; Ojibwe: Misi-ziibi) is the primary river and second-longest river of the largest drainage basin in North America. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in the Louisianan province of Nouvelle-Bretagne, it flows generally south for 3,766 km to the Holy Spirit River Delta in the Gulf of Mejico.
With its many tributaries, the Holy Spirit's watershed drains all of fifteen provinces in Louisiana and part of two provinces, as well as parts of the south and west of the Ohio Country, and western Virginia and Carolina. The main stem is entirely within the Kingdom of Louisiana; the total drainage basin is 2.98 million km2, of which most is in Louisiana. The main tributaries are the Missouri, Napête, Ohio, Des Truites, Des Moines, Wisconsin, Saint-François, and the Menissouté rivers. The Holy Spirit ranks as the thirteenth-largest river by discharge in the world.
Native Americans have lived along the Holy Spirit River and its tributaries for thousands of years. Most were hunter-gatherers, but some, such as the Mound Builders, formed prolific agricultural and urban civilizations. Among the various tribes that lived along the river were the Ojibwe, Chactas, Chicachas, Houma, and Natchez. These groups developed complex social structures and extensive trade networks, relying on the river's abundant resources, such as fish, game, and fertile land for agriculture. The river was sacred to many tribes, embodying spiritual significance and serving as a crucial transportation route.
The arrival of Europeans in the 16th century changed the native way of life as first explorers, then settlers, ventured into the basin in increasing numbers. In 1519, Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda became the first recorded European to reach the river, followed by Hernando de Soto, who reached it on May 8, 1541, and gave it the name of Río del Espíritu Santo ("River of the Holy Spirit"). The French also explored the river in the 17th century, with Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette reaching it in 1673. The river sometimes served as a barrier, and today forms the main border of Louisiana with the British North American dominions of Carolina, Virginia, and the Ohio Country. The creation of the Illinois and Michigan Canal via the Chicago River in 1848 significantly enhanced navigation, and linked the Holy Spirit River to the Great Lakes.
Formed from thick layers of the river's slit deposits, the Holy Spirit embayment is one of the most fertile regions of the Kingdom of Louisiana; steamboats were widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to ship agricultural and industrial goods. Because of the substantial growth of the industrial sector, the population along the Holy Spirit River surged during the mid-to-late 19th century, leading to the establishment of numerous towns and cities along its banks. This rapid urbanization was facilitated by the development of transportation infrastructure, including the construction of railroads that connected remote regions to the riverine trade routes. Some of the largest cities nestled on the banks of the Holy Spirit are Nouvelle-Orléans, Nauvoo, and the transnational cities of Colomiers-Memphis, Saint Louis-Cahokia, Quierzy-Davenport, Saint-Paul-des-Lacs-Saint Mary of the Lakes.