302 A BICENTENNIAL HISTORY OF MISSISSIPPI STORMS AND RAIN ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE FARMLAND THAT COVERS MOST OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. The Delta has some of the richest soil in the world, thanks to years of the Mississippi River flooding the area. The river is now contained by an intricate levee, lock, and dam system, but the Delta soil still grows bountiful crops of cotton, corn, soybeans, and rice. DELTA STORM CLOUDS PHOTO BY GREG CAMPBELL