Waubonsee Community College

Immortal river, the upper Mississippi in ancient and modern times, Calvin R. Fremling

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 399-416) and index

government publication of a state province territory dependency etc

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Immortal river

bibliography

54759336

Calvin R. Fremling

the upper Mississippi in ancient and modern times

Documents the history of the Mississippi River and the dramatic changes that have transpired as humans have exploited and attempted to subdue the waters since their discovery

Prologue -- Introducing Old Man River -- Majestic river bluffs and beautiful valleys -- Glaciers : sculptors of the upper Mississippi River basin -- The upper Mississippi River : child of the Pleistocene -- The land missed by the glaciers -- After the glaciers -- The Mississippi's prehistoric Native Americans : hunters, gatherers, farmers, and city planners -- The quest for furs and a northwest passage : changing ownership of the Mississippi River basin, 1673-1803 -- Prairie, savanna, and the big woods : the riverine landscape at the time of exploration and settlement by Americans and Europeans -- Early exploitation of natural resources -- Steamboats 'round the bend -- "Improving" the river, 1878-1930 -- Mission impossible : the nine-foot channel project -- The glory years -- Diesel-driven towboats and steel barges : a rebirth of commercial river transportation -- The Corps giveth, the Corps taketh away : long-term impacts of the nine-foot channel and related projects -- Vital strands in the river's web of life -- "Mayflies! : what the hell good are they?" -- Flooding : "the river is a strong brown god--sullen, untamed and intractable" -- Pollution : has a defiled river been reborn? -- Who's in charge? -- Can this be the same river? : St. Louis to the mouth of the Ohio and beyond -- Epilogue : the river yesterday, today, and tomorrow