Synopses & Reviews
Review
andldquo;This excellent book will inform newcomers to the valley about the history of their new home, and it will give all readers a better understanding of how successive waves of people have interacted with and altered the natural landscapes of the area.andrdquo;andmdash;Robert Gough, author of Farming the Cutover: A Social History of Northern Wisconsin, 1900andndash;1940
Review
andldquo;[T]he authors take a refreshingly realistic stand on the significance of their subject. That said, they convincingly claim that andlsquo;the St. Croix Valley encapsulates the history of the Upper Midwest.andrsquo; This makes the book useful not only for interested readers and local historians but also for anyone anxious to understand the broader dynamics that shaped the regionandrsquo;s past.andrdquo;andmdash;Michael J. Lansing, Minnesota History
Review
andldquo;This volume presents a thorough, carefully researched and well-written history of the St. Croix River. It should be required reading for anyone charged with managing the St. Croix and its valley in the twenty-first century.andrdquo;andmdash;
Environmental HistorySynopsis
The St. Croix River, the free-flowing boundary between Wisconsin and Minnesota, is a federally protected National Scenic Riverway. The areaandrsquo;s first recorded human inhabitants were the Dakota Indians, whose lands were transformed by fur trade empires and the loggers who called it the andldquo;river of pine.andrdquo; A patchwork of farms, cultivated by immigrants from many countries, followed the cutover forests. Today, the St. Croix River Valley is a tourist haven in the land of sky-blue waters and a peaceful escape for residents of the bustling Minneapolisandndash;St. Paul metropolitan region.
and#160;and#160;and#160; North Woods River is a thoughtful biography of the river over the course of more than three hundred years. Eileen McMahon and Theodore Karamanski track the riverandrsquo;s social and environmental transformation as newcomers changed the river basin and, in turn, were changed by it. The history of the St. Croix revealed here offers larger lessons about the future management of beautiful and fragile wild waters.
Synopsis
The colorful history and culture of Wisconsin are reflected in its place names, from those created by Native Americans, French explorers, and diverse European settlers to more recent appellations commemorating political figures, postmasters, and landowners. Organized alphabetically for easy reference, Edward Callary s concise entries reveal the stories behind such intriguing names as Fussville, Misha Mokwa, Couderay, and Thiry Daems. Fun to read and packed with information, Place Names of Wisconsin is a must-have for anyone interested in Wisconsin and Midwest history, language, geography, and culture or anyone who simply wonders why did they name it that? "
About the Author
Eileen McMahon is assistant professor of history at Lewis University. Theodore Karamanski is professor of history at Loyola University.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrationsand#160;and#160;and#160;
Acknowledgmentsand#160;and#160;and#160;
Introductionand#160;and#160;and#160;
Chapter 1. Valley of Plenty, River of Conflictand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Dakota and Their Neighborsand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; French Fur Traders on the St. Croixand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Origins of the Dakota-Ojibwe Warand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; English Fur Traders on the St. Croixand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; A Social History of the Fur Trade in the St. Croix Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Ecological Impact of the Fur Tradeand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The American Fur Company Eraand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Dakota-Ojibwe Relations during the American Eraand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Treaties of 1837and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Strangers on the Land: The St. Croix Indians in the Settlement Eraand#160;and#160;and#160;
Chapter 2. River of Pineand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; From Fur Trade to Fir Tradeand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Frontier Logging: Life in the Forestand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Frontier Logging: The Importance of Waterpowerand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The St. Croix Boom Companyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Industrial Riverand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Log Drivesand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; A River Jammed with Logsand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Industrial Loggingand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Corporate Control of the St. Croixand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Failure of Government Regulation of the St. Croix Pineryand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Fire in the Forestand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Last Days of the Lumber Frontierand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Impact of Logging on the St. Croix Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
Chapter 3. andquot;The New Landandquot;: Settlement and Agricultureand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Dividing the Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Farmers and the Repopulation of the Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Swedish Frontierand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Land Speculation and Growing Painsand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Civil War Years in the St. Croix Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; The Farming Frontier Moves up the Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Railroads: Regional Rivalry and Growthand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; From Wheat to Dairy Farmingand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Farming the Cutoverand#160;and#160;and#160;
Chapter 4. Up North: The Development of Recreation in the St. Croix Valleyand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Steamboats and the andquot;Fashionable Tourandquot;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Railroads and the Growth of Tourismand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Hunting, Fishing, and Tourismand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Interstate Park and the Last Stand of the Steamboat Menand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Dam the St. Croix!and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Sportsmen of the Upper St. Croixand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Government Conservation and the Invention of the North Woodsand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Return of the Touristand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Dam the St. Croix, Againand#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160; Saving the St. Croixand#160;and#160;and#160;
Notesand#160;and#160;and#160;
Bibliographyand#160;and#160;and#160;
Indexand#160;and#160;and#160;