Every Root an Anchor
Every Root an Anchor

Author: R. Bruce Allison

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2014-05-20

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 0870205285

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In Every Root an Anchor, writer and arborist R. Bruce Allison celebrates Wisconsin's most significant, unusual, and historic trees. More than one hundred tales introduce us to trees across the state, some remarkable for their size or age, others for their intriguing histories. From magnificent elms to beloved pines to Frank Lloyd Wright's oaks, these trees are woven into our history, contributing to our sense of place. They are anchors for time-honored customs, manifestations of our ideals, and reminders of our lives' most significant events. For this updated edition, Allison revisits the trees' histories and tells us which of these unique landmarks are still standing. He sets forth an environmental message as well, reminding us to recognize our connectedness to trees and to manage our tree resources wisely. As early Wisconsin conservationist Increase Lapham said, "Tree histories increase our love of home and improve our hearts. They deserve to be told and remembered."

Description of the New Netherlands
Description of the New Netherlands

Author: Adriaen Van Der Donck

Publisher: Cosimo, Inc.

Published: 2010-07-01

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 161640275X

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Description of the New Netherlands was written in 1653 by Adriaen van der Donck, just two years before his death. After living for years in a Dutch Settlement near what today is Albany, New York, van der Donck wrote the description of the land, peoples, vegetation, animals, and beauty of his new home. Included in his description are observations on animals such as the beaver, and on the customs and languages of the Native Americans in the area, particularly the Mohawk and Mahican tribes. Van der Donck's authority on Native Americans was unprecedented at the time, and his descriptions of their lifestyle is one of the most detailed accounts of Indian laws and customs from the 17th century. Adriaen van der Donck (1618-1655) was born in Breda in the Netherlands, but became a settler in "the New World" in 1641. He graduated as a law student from the University of Leiden, and was the first lawyer to settle in New Netherlands. While there, he became a landowner and adept scholar in the ways of the local Native Americans, befriending them, eating with them, and learning their languages. He helped to negotiate deals between colonies and the natives, but a disagreement with governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1949 concerning settler's rights sent him back to the Netherlands with a petition to encourage economic freedom. Van der Donck returned to the colony before his death in 1655, where his nickname "Jonkheer" inspired the name for Yonkers, New York.