Capes on the Mississippi River facts for kids
When you hear the word cape, you might think of a piece of land sticking out into the ocean. But along the Mississippi River in the American Midwest, a "cape" means something a little different! Here, a cape is a high cliff or a point of land that sticks out along the river.
What is a Mississippi River Cape?
A cape on the Mississippi River is usually a bluff (a steep cliff) or a promontory (a high point of land). These capes were important landmarks for early explorers. They helped people navigate the big river.
How Capes Got Their Names
Long ago, the middle part of the Mississippi River Valley was part of New France. This was a huge area controlled by France, including parts of what are now Quebec and Louisiana. This region was also known as the Illinois Country.
French explorers and mapmakers were the first to call these river features "capes." In French, the word for cape is "cap." They used this word even though these landforms were next to a river, not the ocean. Spanish explorers also used their word for cape, "cabo," for similar spots on the Mississippi.
Many of these capes still have their original French names today. You can find several of them along the Mississippi River between the cities of St. Louis and Cairo.
Famous Mississippi River Capes
Here are some of the capes found along the Mississippi River and its smaller rivers. Many of these names tell a story about the area or the people who explored it.
| Capes on the Mississippi River and tributaries | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Original French Name | Translation | State | Location |
| Cape Cinque Hommes or Cape St. Cosme | Cap des Cinque Hommes or Cap St. Cosme | cape of five men or cape of St. Cosme | MO | 37°41′33.2″N 89°31′45.3″W / 37.692556°N 89.529250°W |
| Cape Creche | Cap Crèche | cape manger | MO | |
| Cape La Croix | Cap de la Croix | cape of the cross | MO | 37°14′53.51″N 89°28′05.76″W / 37.2481972°N 89.4682667°W |
| Cap à la Cruche | Cap à la Cruche | cape pitcher | MO | |
| Cape Fair | -- | -- | MO | 36°43′48″N 93°30′37″W / 36.73000°N 93.51028°W |
| Cape Garlick | Cap à l'Ail | cape garlic | MO | |
| Cape Girardeau | Cap de Girardot | cape of Girardot | MO | 37°18′21″N 89°31′05″W / 37.30583°N 89.51806°W |
| Cap au Gris | Cap au Gris | cape of gray | MO | 38°59′56″N 90°41′30″W / 38.99889°N 90.69167°W |
| Cape de la Grotte | Cap de la Grotte | cape of the caves | MO | |
| Cap aux Pistolets | Cap aux Pistolets | cape of the pistols | MN | |
| Cape La Roche | Cap de la Roche | cape of the rock | MO | |
| Cape de Roche Blanche | Cap de Roche blanche | cape of the white rock | MO | |
| Cape Rock | -- | -- | MO | 37°19′43″N 89°29′45″W / 37.32861°N 89.49583°W |
| Cape St. Anthony | Cap de St. Antoine | cape of Saint Anthony | IL | 37°37′57″N 89°30′7″W / 37.63250°N 89.50194°W |
| Cape Swallow | Cap l'hirondelle | cape swallow | MO | |
| Pointed Cape | Cap de la Pointe | cape of the point | MO | |
