University of Iowa Press, 2009 Paper: 978-1-58729-780-9 | eISBN: 978-1-58729-836-3 Library of Congress Classification F612.U77F35 2009 Dewey Decimal Classification 977.76
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Whether profiling the chief of the last hunter-gatherers on the river, an early settler witnessing her first prairie fire and a modern wildlife biologist using fire to manage prairies, the manager of the Granger Farmer’s Co-op Creamery, or a landowner whose bottomlands are continually eaten away by floods, Faldet steadily develops the central idea that people are walking tributaries of the river basin in which they make their homes.
Faldet moves through the history of life along the now-polluted Upper Iowa, always focusing on the ways people depend on the river, the environment, and the resources of the region. He blends contemporary conversations, readings from the historical record, environmental research, and personal experience to show us that the health of the river is best guaranteed by maintaining the biological communities that nurture it. In return, taking care of the Upper Iowa is the best way to take care of our future.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
David Faldet is Jones Professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
REVIEWS
“The great conservationist and Iowa native Aldo Leopold often reminded us that to live well in our land community we should strive to understand it. Oneota Flow is a treasure chest of such understanding. Every Home Place should have a David Faldet.”—Paul W. Johnson, former director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
“Faldet’s Oneota Flow gathers stories small and large—like river tributaries—to form a great, flowing whole, a deep, curving story of an entire watershed and those who have called it home. Tributaries and stories: Spring Creek, South Pine, Coldwater Cave, Canoe Creek, prairie fires, rural electrification, Ho-Chunk ways, PCBs, brook trout, and family tales all contribute to this rich narrative, so much like the Upper Iowa in full summer flow.”—Drake Hokanson, director, Center for Mississippi River Studies, Winona State University
“Oneota Flow is a refreshingly candid view of an exceptional natural resource. Faldet’s ability to combine active storytelling with historical and scientific perspectives makes for enjoyable and informative reading. I would recommend this to residents of the Upper Iowa area and of Iowa and to anyone who wants a poetic account of one midwestern river that represents much of what has happened to these resources in our modern society.”—Richard Leopold, director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Foreword by Wayne Franklin ix
Acknowledgments xiii
The Smell of Rain:
Where It Starts 1
The Two Names of the River: Geological Beginnings 5
Big River in the Driftless: The Ice Age 22
Roots and Fire: 8,000–500 b.c.e. 34
The Old Ones: 500 b.c.e.–1633 c.e. 49
Unknown World: 1634–1832 65
We Have Never Sold Any Country: 1833–1848 87
The Great Improvement: 1849–1869 102
Steam, Wind, and the Powers of Earth: 1870–1918 122
Aiding the Land:1914–1945 147
The Juice: 1946–1970 165
On the Place by the River They Raise Children: 1971–2004 186
Notes 203
Bibliography 219
Index 229
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If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
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Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
University of Iowa Press, 2009 Paper: 978-1-58729-780-9 eISBN: 978-1-58729-836-3
Whether profiling the chief of the last hunter-gatherers on the river, an early settler witnessing her first prairie fire and a modern wildlife biologist using fire to manage prairies, the manager of the Granger Farmer’s Co-op Creamery, or a landowner whose bottomlands are continually eaten away by floods, Faldet steadily develops the central idea that people are walking tributaries of the river basin in which they make their homes.
Faldet moves through the history of life along the now-polluted Upper Iowa, always focusing on the ways people depend on the river, the environment, and the resources of the region. He blends contemporary conversations, readings from the historical record, environmental research, and personal experience to show us that the health of the river is best guaranteed by maintaining the biological communities that nurture it. In return, taking care of the Upper Iowa is the best way to take care of our future.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
David Faldet is Jones Professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
REVIEWS
“The great conservationist and Iowa native Aldo Leopold often reminded us that to live well in our land community we should strive to understand it. Oneota Flow is a treasure chest of such understanding. Every Home Place should have a David Faldet.”—Paul W. Johnson, former director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
“Faldet’s Oneota Flow gathers stories small and large—like river tributaries—to form a great, flowing whole, a deep, curving story of an entire watershed and those who have called it home. Tributaries and stories: Spring Creek, South Pine, Coldwater Cave, Canoe Creek, prairie fires, rural electrification, Ho-Chunk ways, PCBs, brook trout, and family tales all contribute to this rich narrative, so much like the Upper Iowa in full summer flow.”—Drake Hokanson, director, Center for Mississippi River Studies, Winona State University
“Oneota Flow is a refreshingly candid view of an exceptional natural resource. Faldet’s ability to combine active storytelling with historical and scientific perspectives makes for enjoyable and informative reading. I would recommend this to residents of the Upper Iowa area and of Iowa and to anyone who wants a poetic account of one midwestern river that represents much of what has happened to these resources in our modern society.”—Richard Leopold, director, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Foreword by Wayne Franklin ix
Acknowledgments xiii
The Smell of Rain:
Where It Starts 1
The Two Names of the River: Geological Beginnings 5
Big River in the Driftless: The Ice Age 22
Roots and Fire: 8,000–500 b.c.e. 34
The Old Ones: 500 b.c.e.–1633 c.e. 49
Unknown World: 1634–1832 65
We Have Never Sold Any Country: 1833–1848 87
The Great Improvement: 1849–1869 102
Steam, Wind, and the Powers of Earth: 1870–1918 122
Aiding the Land:1914–1945 147
The Juice: 1946–1970 165
On the Place by the River They Raise Children: 1971–2004 186
Notes 203
Bibliography 219
Index 229
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE