The Last Windrow: How can we change a river with a personality of its own?

Would you prefer a winding, scenic, tree-lined river or a straight ditch?

Would you prefer occasional flooding or no flooding?

Those choices are being discussed by the Legislature in my old stomping grounds of western Iowa.

The Big Sioux River winds its way from east central South Dakota and finally empties into the Mighty Mo in Sioux City. Many of those who read this column out west are familiar with the stream.

The future fate of how the river looks is being talked about again by those recently affected by destructive flooding on the lower reaches. A possible solution would be the straightening of the river in that area.

I wrote about this same topic at the age of 14. I was opposed. That seems so long ago. It was.

I cut my fishing eyeteeth on the "Sioux." My mother's family was rai