Cruising the Mississippi on Highway 61 Quiz

Answer: Wyoming

Since 1990, the northern start of Highway 61 has been in Wyoming, a town about 35 miles north-northeast of Minneapolis. The highway starts at where US 61 intersects with Interstate 35. Wyoming is located along the Sunshine River, in Chisago County.

Pigeon River was the northern terminus of US Highway 61 from 1926 until the 1960s. It is 270 miles north of Wyoming, in the northeast tip of the state, and lies right on the US-Canadian border.

At one point, Route 61 did go through Duluth, the birthplace of legendary folk singer Bob Dylan. He recorded "Highway 61 Revisited," widely regarded as one of the greatest albums in Rock and Roll history, which contains both "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Desolation Row."

Winona is located about 115 miles southeast of Minneapolis, right along the Mississippi River. Route 61 does pass through it.

Answer: Boscobel

While all these towns are on the Wisconsin River, US Highway 61 intersects it at Boscobel. A relatively small town, Boscobel is noted for having the Central House Hotel, the birthplace of Gideons International, the people who put bibles in hotel rooms.

Muscoda is located 15 miles east of Boscobel, and Spring Green is 20 miles east of that. Spring Green is just north of Taliesen, the studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wazueka is about 12 miles west of Boscobel.

Route 61 travels 120 miles through Wisconsin, from LaCrosse to Dubuque.

Answer: True

Des Moines County is in southeastern Iowa, along the Mississippi River, and between Louisa and Lee Counties. The County Seat is Burlington. Iowa gets its nickname "The Hawkeye State" from the local newspaper in Burlington, named to honor Chief Black Hawk. Actor William Frawley ("I Love Lucy") and Quarterback Kurt Warner are both natives of Burlington.

Des Moines, the state capitol of Iowa, is located in Polk County.

Highway 61 enters Iowa at Dubuque and follows the river down to Keokuk, traveling about 190 miles through the state. In Iowa, the highway travels through Dubuque, Jackson, Clinton, Scott, Muscatine, Louisa, Des Moines and Lee Counties.

Answer: Harry Truman Presidential Library

The Truman Library in Independence is on the other side of Missouri, around 200 miles away at its closest. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, known for his combative political style and no nonsense approach to government.

Route 61 goes right through Hannibal, only about 2 to 3 miles from the Mark Twain attractions in downtown Hannibal. The highway passes directly east of Cuivre River. The park has been recreational land since 1934, and is a popular site for hiking, camping and fishing.

The Gateway Arch would be a little bigger detour, about 13 miles east on Missouri 100. The Arch was built in 1965, and is the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere (630 feet tall).

Highway 61 enters Missouri just south of Keokuk, Iowa. It runs through Hannibal, Saint Louis, Saint Genevieve and Sikeston (home of Lambert's restaurant). It exits Missouri south of Holland. The border between Missouri and Arkansas is marked by a large concrete arch. In Saint Louis, Highway 61 travels along Lindbergh Boulevard.

Answer: MIssissippi County

Highway 61 passes through two counties in Arkansas: Mississippi, which contains Blytheville and is directly south of Missouri, and Crittenden, which is directly west of Memphis.

Mississippi County has two county seats, Blytheville and Osceola. The county contains Dyess, the hometown of legendary singer Johnny Cash.

Pulaski County is in the center of the state, and home to Little Rock. Saint Francis County is in northeastern Arkansas, directly west of Memphis and Crittenden County.

Answer: False

Highway 61 travels on Third Street, about two miles west of Elvis Presley Boulevard, the location of Graceland. The home is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tennessee.

Highway 61 has a very brief run in Tennessee, through Memphis. It enters as Interstate 55 on the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge, goes through the city as Third Street and Tennessee Hwy 14, and enters Mississippi near Lake View.

Answer: Clarksdale

The Crossroads is at the intersection of US Highway 61 and US Highway 49 in Clarksdale. It is marked by a tower with three large guitars. Clarksdale is a legendary haven for blues musicians, and houses the Delta Blues Museum.

Tunica is just south of Memphis and is notable for its casinos. US Highway 61 passes just east of Vickburg, site of one of the most important battles on the western front of the US Civil War. Mound Bayou was founded as an African American community in 1887. It is notable as the place where Medgar Evers got his start as a civil rights activist.

Answer: Ulysses Grant

Ulysses S Grant, who would go on to serve as President of the United States (1877-1885), was the general who led the US to victory. John Pemberton was on the losing side. Vicksburg is one of the most memorialized battles of the Civil War, with over 1400 markers at the Military Park.

Buell was a US general, but retired shortly after the battle of Shiloh in 1862. Phillip Kearney died at the Battle of Chantilly in September 1862, so he wasn't available.

The other major National Parks Service site in Mississippi along Highway 61 is Natchez National Historic Park. It contains Melrose, an antebellum mansion, and the home of William Johnson, a freed slave, also from the antebellum era.

Answer: Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong was born at 719 Jane Alley (today 727 South Broad Street), It is right in the heart of New Orleans legal community: two courthouses, the parish prison and the police department are all located in the neighborhood. The house where Armstrong was born was torn down in 1964.

Armstrong was born August 4, 1901 in one of the roughest neighborhoods in New Orleans. While he only had a fifth grade education, Armstrong went on to be one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Nicknamed "Satchmo" for his exceptionally large mouth, Armstrong was legendary as both a trumpeter and vocalist. Armstrong was active as a musician from 1920 until his death in 1971, and worked with many of the biggest names in Jazz during his fifty year career.

Lionel Hampton was born in Louisville. Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City. And John Coltrane was born in North Carolina.

Answer: The Mother Road

The Mother Road is the nickname for US Highway 66, perhaps the only highway more legendary than Highway 61. Highway 61 intersected with Route 66 near Crestwood, just south of Exit 277 on Interstate Highway 44 today.

Highway 61 is known as Airline Highway in Louisiana. The name was first given because the highway was a straight line between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It gained more relevance when Louis Armstrong International Airport, which serves New Orleans, was built along Highway 61.

Highway 61 is known as Blues Highway in Mississippi. Many, many Blues and Jazz artists have recorded songs about Highway 61. Some of the legendary Blues artists who lived near Highway 61 include B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke and Junior Parker.

In Missouri, Highway 61 is known as the Avenue of the Saints.