The Civil War ended in 1865. From 2011-2015, Civil War sesquicentennial events took place around the nation. The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium used the opportunity to feature two exhibits on the critical role that the river played during the Civil War. Both exhibits highlighted contributions to the war effort by the surrounding tri-states of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. During the exhibit, the museum sought additional ways to make the history of the Mississippi River during the Civil War available to elementary and secondary students. In order to provide curriculum materials for secondary students, the museum partnered with the history department and teacher education program at Loras College. The partnership resulted in a curriculum that helps students: (1) realize the importance of the river to the war, (2) see journalists' accounts of the war in the West, and (3) recognize how people from the tri-states played a key role in winning control of the river. The primary sources highlighted here are a sampling of the in-depth insights that can be utilized. In conjunction with a variety of teaching and learning activities, these primary sources can foster a great deal of critical thinking about the role that the West and Mississippi River played in the Civil War.