The Mighty Mississippi: It’s Not Just in Our Name…

…it’s in our soul.

No matter what you call it—”Old Man River,” The Big Muddy” or “The Gathering of Waters”—the Mississippi River will always be a part of our company’s past, present and future.

Our past is forever linked to the river. We were founded as the Mississippi Sand Company in Alton, Illinois in 1907, to dredge sand out of the Mississippi River to supply the construction industry. Expanding into the aggregates and lime business in 1912, we purchased land in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri on the banks of the Mississippi.

The Mississippi River is vital to our present success. No company that supplies products can exist without an efficient means of distribution. In addition to truck and rail, barge distribution is essential to our ability to move products across the country.

Besides at Ste. Genevieve, Mississippi Lime utilizes barge transportation at its Vicksburg, Mississippi; Weirton, West Virginia (on the Ohio River); Verona, Kentucky; and Prairie du Rocher, Illinois plants, as well as many of our terminals that offer transloading between barge and rail or truck. Port Allen, Louisiana is one of the key distribution points for our company and many others in different industries, due to its access to the Intracoastal Waterway.

The river is not just part of our business. It’s also part of the culture and recreation of the communities we live in. You can find recreational activities such as river excursions and paddlewheel cruises, nature parks and refuges, river museums, fishing (particularly catfish), and other activities at our plants and terminals along the Mississippi. These communities also have all the rich history and culture typical of American river towns and cities. You can see the influence of the early indigenous people and European explorers at each of our riverside locations.

Or you can just look out the window and marvel at the majesty of this great river.

The river is also an important part in our future. Barge transportation is considered one of the most cost-effective, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly modes of modern product distribution. A barge can carry up to 1,500 tons of cargo—that’s 15 times greater than a rail car and 60 times greater than a trailer truck. MLC will certainly be using barges and access to this great river for decades to come.

The Mississippi is more than just a national treasure. It’s vital for our business, a place to both work and play, and a source of wonder and enjoyment. It may be muddy, but it is mighty.

And magnificent.