Page:Maury's New Elements of Geography, 1907.djvu/43

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St. Paul, Minnesota, on the Missisippi river.

5. Sierra Nevada Mountains.—Still farther west than the Rocky mountains is the Sierra Nevada range. It contains some of the highest mountains in our country, and on its western slopes are found the largest trees in the world. North of the Sierra Nevada is the Cascade range.

6. The Great plateau from which rise the Rocky mountains on the east, and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges on the west, is called the Pacific highlands. It slopes to the Mississippi river on the east, and to the Pacific ocean on the west.

7. Mississippi Valley.—A vast region of nearly level land lies between the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. It is the southern half of the Central plain. The great Mississippi river drains it, and therefore it is called the Mississippi valley.

1. Mississippi River.—Let us now look at some of the rivers and lakes of our country.



The Missisippi river, flowing through the Great Central plain at St. Louis, Missouri.



A sugar plantation in Louisiana, on the flood plain of the same river.

The largest and most useful river is the Mississippi. This is the Indian name. It means Father of Waters, or Great River. Look at the map. The Mississippi passes through the country from north to south. This is one reason why it is so useful.

"The Father of Waters" has a great many rivers flowing into it. Such rivers are called tributaries. They flow down both sides of the valley, coming from the Rocky mountains in the west and from the Appalachians in the east. The Missouri and the Ohio are the most important. Steamboats carry goods up and down the Missouri, the Ohio, and other tributaries.

2. The Great Lakes.—In the northern part of our country are five great lakes. They are like little oceans. When we sail upon them, we are often out of sight of land.

3. Niagara Falls.—Between lakes Erie and Ontario the Niagara river leaps over a precipice, which in one place is 164 feet high. This makes the famous Falls of Niagara.