WEST BRANCH, IOWA– On Thursday, May 28, Dr. John O. Anfinson will examine Herbert Hoover's role in defining the upper Mississippi River we know today. The presentation is free and begins at 7 p.m. in the visitor center of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
Herbert Hoover played a key role in two major and contradictory projects on the upper river. Through his position as Secretary of Commerce, Hoover helped establish the Upper Mississippi National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in 1924. Six years later, as President, he approved construction of the 9-Foot Channel project, under which most of the Corps of Engineers built 23 locks and dams. Most people assume the locks and dams were contrived during the 1930s as a New Deal project. While built during the New Deal, the project had been authorized under President Hoover's administration. In his presentation, Dr. Anfinson will look at Hoover's role in these two important projects.
John Anfinson is superintendent of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum are in West Branch, Iowa at exit 254 off I-80. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. For more information go online at www.nps.gov/heho or call (319) 643-2541.
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
110 Parkside Drive
PO Box 607
West Branch, Iowa 52358
319 643-2541 phone
319 643-7864 fax
Twitter: @HooverNPS
Facebook: HerbertHooverNHS
