Imagine standing on a riverbank and not being able to see the other side. That is how wide the Mississippi River can be. On May 8, 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto became the first European to reach this enormous river. The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in North America. It stretches about 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. Along the way, it passes through or borders ten states. The river collects water from tributaries across thirty-one states. That means nearly half of all the rain and snow that falls in the United States eventually flows into the Mississippi. Native American peoples had lived along the river for thousands of years before de Soto arrived. The river provided fish, water for irrigation, and a natural highway for travel and trade. Many Native groups had built thriving communities along its banks. De Soto's arrival was not a discovery for them. Today, the Mississippi remains one of the most important waterways in the world. Barges carry grain, coal, and other goods up and down the river every day.