Over thousands of years, the Mississippi watershed was home to millions of indigenous people who regarded the great river with awe and respect, adorning its banks with astonishing spiritual earthworks. But European settlers and American pioneers had a different vision: the river was a foe to conquer. In this landmark work of natural history, Boyce Upholt tells the epic story of human attempts to own and contain the Mississippi River, from Thomas Jeffersons expansionist land hunger through todays era of environmental concern. He reveals how an ambitious and sometimes contentious program of engineeringgovernment-built levees, jetties, dikes and damshas not only damaged once-vibrant ecosystems, but may not work much longer, and explores how scientists are scrambling to restore whats been lost. Rich and powerful, The Great River delivers a startling account of what happens when we try to fight against nature instead of acknowledging and embracing its power.
