The Mississippi River Commission was established in 1879 to facilitate improvement of the Mississippi River from the
Head of Passes near its
mouth to its headwaters. The stated mission of the Commission was to develop and implement plans to correct, permanently locate, and deepen the channel of the Mississippi River, improve safety and ease of navigation, prevent destructive floods. and promote and facilitate commerce, trade, and the postal service. For nearly a half century, the MRC functioned as an executive body reporting directly to the U.S. Secretary of War. The
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 changed the mission of the MRC. The consequent
Flood Control Act of 1928 created the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T). The act assigned responsibility for developing and implementing the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T) to the Mississippi River Commission. The current President of the Mississippi River Commission is
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Major General
Diana M. Holland. The mission is executed through the United States Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division Districts in St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans. The headquarters of the operation is in Historic Downtown Vicksburg in the Mississippi River Commission Building. File:Mississippi River Commission building in Vicksburg.jpg|The Mississippi River Commission building in
Vicksburg == See also ==