Men and Mules: Delta Levees and Earthworks By K. Brad Barfield The landscape of the Mississippi Delta, particularly in regions like southeast Arkansas, is a triumph of engineering and human labor, built upon a foundation of alluvial soil and extraordinary toil. This transformation was necessitated by the destructive power of the Mississippi River, leading to the creation of massive earthworks—levees and raised causeways—primarily constructed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the c