The Great Lakes are the largest collection of fresh surface water on earth, and more than 40 million Americans and Canadians live in their basin. Will we divert water from the Great Lakes, causing them to end up like Central Asia's Aral Sea, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area and 75 percent of its volume since 1960? Or will we come to see that unregulated water withdrawals are ultimately catastrophic? Peter Annin writes a fast-paced account of the people and stories behind these upcoming battles. Destined to be the definitive story for the general public as well as policymakers, The Great Lakes Water Wars is a balanced, comprehensive look behind the scenes at the conflicts and compromises that are the past-and future-of this unique resource.
In this highly accessible history of ships and shipping on the Great Lakes, upper elementary readers are taken on a rip-roaring journey through the waterways of the upper Midwest. Great Ships on the Great Lakes explores the history of the region’s rivers, lakes, and inland seas—and the people and ships who navigated them. Read along as the first peoples paddle tributaries in birch bark canoes. Follow as European voyageurs pilot rivers and lakes to get beaver pelts back to the eastern market. Watch as settlers build towns and eventually cities on the shores of the Great Lakes. Listen to the stories of sailors, lighthouse keepers, and shipping agents whose livelihoods depended on the dangerous waters of Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Give an ear to their stories of unexpected tragedy and miraculous rescue, and heed their tales of risk and reward on the low seas. Great Ships also tells the story of sea battles and gunships, of the first vessels to travel beyond the Niagara, and of the treacherous storms and cold weather that caused thousands of ships to sink in the Great Lakes. Watch as underwater archaeologists solve the mysteries of Great Lakes shipwrecks today. And learn how the shift from sail to steam forever changed the history of shipping, as schooners made way for steamships and bulk freighters, and sailing became a recreation, not a hazardous way of life. Designed for the upper elementary classroom with emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin, Great Ships on the Great Lakes includes a timeline of events, on-page vocabulary, and a list of resources and places to visit. Over 20 maps highlight the region’s maritime history. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide includes 18 classroom activities, arranged by chapter, including lessons on exploring shipwrecks and learning how glaciers moved across the landscape.
New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Award "Nimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrative.… Egan’s book is bursting with life (and yes, death)." —Robert Moor, New York Times Book Review The Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.
With its rugged shoreline and deep, cold waters, Lake Superior offers exciting opportunities for travel, exploration, and enjoyment. From the Grand Sable Dunes and Apostle Islands of the south shore to mountain-studded St. Ignace Island and majestic Thunder Cape on the north, the lake is deeply ingrained in North America’s cultural and environmental heritage. Around the Shores of Lake Superioris an ideal trip planner and a unique guide to the region. As author Margaret Beattie Bogue follows the Lake Superior shoreline clockwise through Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin, she evokes the richness of local history and highlights hundreds of landmarks and points of interest that surround the lake. Grand Portage, Fort William Historical Park, the Agawa Canyon Pictographs, Isle Royale, the Pictured Rocks, and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshores are just a few of the many sites featured, each with a short descriptive history, directions, and contact information. In keeping with the guide’s easy-to-follow organization, all sites are keyed to a foldout map pocketed in the book’s back cover. This book also includes illuminating essays that give context to the natural and human history of the region—the Ojibwe presence, French exploration, industry on and around the lake, and the impact of this history on the natural environment. With more than 200 color and black-and-white images, this updated and greatly expanded Second Edition will enrich the appreciation of the region for both visitors and residents of the upper Great Lakes. Winner, Best Midwest Regional Interest Book, Midwest Book Awards Winner, Award of Merit for Leadership in History, American Association for State and Local History Best Books for Regional Special Interests, selected by the American Association of School Librarians, and Best Books for Regional Audiences, selected by the Public Library Association
This superbly organized guide to the 1,600-mile shoreline of Lake Michigan describes 182 historical sites and points of interest. Generously illustrated, it includes historical sketches, keys to recreation, and a large fold-out planner map.
Argh! Go on sailing adventures and explore the true stories of real Great Lakes pirates that pillaged, robed, murdered, and found treasure. Rob the French fur trade during the French & Indian War. Discover the legend of a real pirate king. Raid Great Lakes areas with confederates and wave the stars & bars. This 65 page book details the tales of over 10 pirate legends on the Great Lakes. Equiped with graphics, maps of their voyages, portraits and historical stories.
Bruce Mueller is the rock expert who brought you the very popular Complete Guide to Petoskey Stones. Bookstores all along Lake Michigan loved that book, but they also expressed many requests for a rock identification guide for Lake Michigan. Here it is. Mueller researched the entire shoreline of Lake Michigan to write this guide to Lake Michigan rocks. This is the perfect guidebook for any-one or any family who walks the beach and wonders, What is this?
