A rather obvious statement —> Historically, river ways have been vital to the development of human societies around the globe.

Fresh water means survival — in the basic sense, yes. Our earliest pre-urban ancestors made rivers central to growing their communities by gathering fish, water fowl, muscles, river rock, reeds, and numerous other food and building materials. As time passed, they figured out how to divert the water, to irrigate, to build dams and reservoirs. An obvious, basic means of travel inspired long-range boats, commerce with other river communities, and eventually, the incredible engineering feats of modern bridges.

I have always loved river towns. The reflection of a fiery sunset over a bridge … that sight calls to my soul.

The flow of southern rivers is much like the drawls you’ll hear in this part of the U.S. — slow, meandering. And those bridges! Rough, early industrial steel. Manmade broad roadways suspended mid-air. Every time…