The River We Have Wrought is a landmark history of the upper Mississippi, from early European exploration through the completion of a navigable channel and a system of locks and dams in the mid-twentieth century. John Anfinson examines how politics has shaped the landscapes of the Upper Midwest and how taming the Mississippi River has affected economic sustainability, river ecology, and biological diversity.

John O. Anfinson is a historian with the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. For nearly twenty years he was the historian for the Saint Paul District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He is a founding board member of the Friends of the Mississippi River, an organization dedicated to improving the Mississippi's environmental health.

"This book demonstrates wide research and thoughtful synthesis of many sources . . . certainly an important book." -Minnesota History

"Anyone interested in the fate of the Mississippi River would do well to read this book." -Minnesota Magazine

"John Anfinson brings an evenhanded approach to the debate over how much river should serve commerce and how much it should preserve nature, a topic that has been politicized by shipping and environmental advocates." - Minneapolis Star Tribune