The River We Have Wrought
The River We Have Wrought

Author: John O. Anfinson

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2005-02-01

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 9780816640249

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A sweeping history of the upper Mississippi introduces readers to the rich natural and human history of this region, from the earliest European explorers through the massive engineering projects that are changing the destiny of the river. (History)

Mostly Mississippi
Mostly Mississippi

Author: Harold Speakman

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 1927

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 9781452907130

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Harold Speakman (1888-1928), a writer and visual artist, journeyed the Mississippi from its Minnesota headwaters to New Orleans by canoe and on a twenty-foot house boat in the company of his wife, Frances "Russell" Lindsay Speakman. The Speakmans made the 2,450-mile trip shortly after their marriage in July 5, 1925. The result was this work, Speakman's only full-scale American travel narrative, though he had earlier written accounts of travel in China, Palestine, and Ireland. Illustrated by Speakman's paintings and sketches and his wife's drawings, the book is an idyllic tour of the American heartland. It features lyrical descriptions of encounters with archetypical characters, landscapes, and experiences reflecting life along the river. The Speakmans met lumberjacks in northern Minnesota and Mormons at Nauvoo, as well as roustabouts, hoboes, farmers, drifters, Southern grandees, Native Americans, collegians thirsting for real life experiences, and convicts. They also encountered Padraic Colum, the Irish poet, then on tour; Laura Frazer, the inspiration for Mark Twain's Becky Thatcher; and a stereotypical "lady from Dubuque"--A symbol of American provincialism for 1920s New Yorker readers. Historical anecdotes and local legends weave into the narrative, which also explores the deepening emotional bond between the newly married couple

The Great Minnesota Fish Book
The Great Minnesota Fish Book

Author: Thomas J. Dickson

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780816651351

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Fishing is one of Minnesota's consummate pastimes. The North Star state boasts the highest number of anglers per capita in the nation and the most fishing lakes. Minnesota is abundant in knowledge about how to catch game fish, but there is little information on the lore and natural history of such prized species as the walleye and largemouth bass, not to mention lesser-known varieties such as the brook stickleback and pirate perch. From trophies to bait, The Great Minnesota Fish Book tells stories of these aquatic species in rich, colorful detail. The Great Minnesota Fish Book pairs engaging and revealing stories about the history, habitat, and culture of more than one hundred species with strikingly lifelike depictions by world-renowned fish illustrator Joseph R. Tomelleri. Providing defining features for easy identification, descriptions of habitat, growth patterns, and behavior, as well as historical anecdotes, Dickson makes a convincing case for the appreciation of all fish and their important place within Minnesota's aquatic ecosystems. Where else can you learn about the American eel, a fish that lives throughout southern Minnesota yet spawns in the Caribbean Sea? Or the Johnny darter, which reproduces upside down? Or the monstrous lake sturgeon that can reach more than 300 pounds and swims in waters from Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi River? Nowhere, until now. Tom Dickson takes us on a lively tour of Minnesota fish-the good, the bad, and the ugly. An elegant full-color work for everyone from the passionate angler to the up-north cabin dweller, The Great Minnesota Fish Book conveys the love and fascination-and in the case of eelpout, the disdain-that people have for the fishes of our home state.