Written for history buffs, boaters, and outdoor enthusiasts alike, this engaging narrative history includes twenty-five vignettes?Rafting Lumber, Early Travelers, Steamboats?that highlight the people, places, and events associated with the Wisconsin River in the nineteenth century. Illustrated with thirty-five historic photographs, the book includes maps showing the locations of dams, portages, access points, mileage markers, and communities. Author Richard D. Durbin has also compiled, for the first time, a list of all the rapids that once punctuated the river?s course (only one remains today) and short histories of the dams presently on the river. The extensive bibliography and index are a trove for those exploring the history of the river that is so central to Wisconsin, both geographically and culturally.Distributed for Spring Freshet Press.