Grand Excursions On The Upper Mississippi River: Places, Landscapes, And Regional Identity After 1854 (bur Oak Book)

In June 1854 the Grand Excursion celebrated in festive style the completion of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad to the Mississippi River. Hundreds of dignitaries including newspaper editors and other journalists, politicians, academics, writers, artists, business and industry leaders, and railroad officials were among those who traveled by rail from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois, then by steamboat to St. Paul in Minnesota Territory. The travelers were shown a region undergoing rapid settlement by Europeans—an area of great natural beauty that offered much promise for additional development. One hundred and fifty years later, the thirteen essays in this volume examine the activities and environments of the 1854 Grand Excursion and place them in the context of an evolving regional identity for the Upper Mississippi River Valley based on the economy, culture, geography, and history of the area. In a series of ''excursions,'' the contributors explore the building of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, eastern newspaper accounts of the 1854 excursion, steamboating, the area’s pictorial landscape, passenger trains along the scenic river, the genesis and features of river towns, the control of the river for navigation, the development of preserves, parks, and recreation areas, the lumber industry, and commercial fishing. The book concludes by examining the resurgence of river-oriented development, as river towns are once again embracing the Mississippi. Generously illustrated with maps, engravings, ephemera, and historic and present-day photographs, Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi River will be appreciated by tourists and residents of the area, river aficionados, and railroad and steamboat history buffs as well as academics interested in the history, geography, and regional development of the area. In June 1854 the Grand Excursion celebrated in festive style the completion of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad to the Mississippi River. Hundreds of dignitaries including newspaper editors and other journalists; politicians; academics, writers and artists; business and industry leaders; and railroad officials were among those who traveled by rail from Chicago to Rock Island, Illinois, then by steamboat to St. Paul in Minnesota Territory. The travelers were shown a region undergoing rapid settlement by Europeans—an area of great natural beauty offering many promises for additional development. One hundred and fifty years later, the thirteen essays in this volume examine the activities and environments of the 1854 Grand Excursion and place them in the context of an evolving regional identity for the Upper Mississippi River Valley based on the economy, culture, geography, and history of the area. In a series of “excursions,” the contributors explore the building of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, eastern newspaper accounts of the 1854 excursion, steamboating, the area's pictorial landscape, passenger trains along the scenic river, the genesis and features of river towns, the control of the river for navigation, the development of preserves, parks, and recreation areas, the lumber industry, and commercial fishing. The book concludes by examining the resurgence of river-oriented development, as river towns are once again embracing the Mississippi. Generously illustrated with maps, engravings, ephemera, and historic and present-day photographs, Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi River will be of interest to tourists and residents of the area, river aficionados, railroad and steamboat history buffs, as well as academics interested in the history, geography, and regional development of the area. In June 1854 The Grand Excursion Celebrated In Festive Style The Completion Of The Chicago And Rock Island Railroad To The Mississippi River. Hundreds Of Dignitaries Traveled By Rail From Chicago To Rock Island, Illinois, Then By Steamboat To St. Paul In Minnesota Territory. One Hundred And Fifty Years Later, The Thirteen Essays In This Volume Examine The Activities And Environments Of The 1854 Grand Excursion And Place Them In The Context Of An Evolving Regional Identity For The Upper Mississippi River Valley Based On The Economy, Culture, Geography, And History Of The Area.--jacket. Upper Mississippi And The Grand Excursion / Curtis C. Roseman, Dick Stahl, Elizabeth M. Roseman -- Building A Mighty Fine Line : The Chicago And Rock Island Railroad / Roald D. Tweet -- Grand Excursion Of 1854 / William J. Petersen -- East Looks At The West / Susan R. Brooker-gross -- Steaming Up The River / Edwin L. Hill -- Picturesque Mississippi / Patrick Nunnally -- Towns To Visit : Sights (sites) To See / John A. Jakle -- Where Nature Smiles Three Hundred Miles : Rail Travel Along The River / Jeff Crump. Highway To Empire : Remaking The River / John O. Anfinson -- Preservation And Management Of The River's Natural Resources / Gary C. Meyer -- River Of Logs / Gayle Rein -- Fishing The Father Of Waters / Malcolm L. Comeaux -- Renewals And Reinventions : River Towns On The Upper Mississippi / Norman Moline, Charles Mahaffey. Edited By Curtis C. Roseman And Elizabeth M. Roseman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [215]-235) And Index.