Voices On The River: The Story Of The Mississippi Waterways

by Walter Havighurst

Voices on the River relates two centuries of tales of famous steamboats and of the men who piloted them, from the renowned Mark Twain to the trailblazing Captain Henry Shreve. The book portrays roustabouts on the main deck, passengers in plush cabins, pilots at the big steering wheel, and government engineers at work in shifting channels. It shows Native American tribes carried to exile; soldiers transported to army posts; artists, scientists, and adventures on their way to wild country; immigrants thronging river landings where the inland cities rose. Voices on the River follows the frontier commerce up the Mississippi River and its two major tributaries, the Ohio and the Missouri. It tells of steamboat speed records, races, and disasters, and of the growing nation in the vast Midwest. This book gathers memories of a wide variety of Misissippi characters to provide an engrossing portrait of the expanse of river life. "A big book, well balanced in facts and colorful stories."

Genres: History

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Scott Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fascinating historical piece with an abundance of names, dates, people, places and activities that frequently overwhelmed my senses. it took two starts in a year to get underway, much like a riverboat excursion during the dry season, but a deliberate and piecemeal pace does the truck.

I grew up in the Mississippi river so the fascination might be inbred, but if you're looking for the facts, history, economics, engineering, social and expansion behind the rivers, take some nice winter nights to dig in deep. just remember to watch for snags and sandbars.

[Lisa McDougald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The stories of boilers blowing up and Mississippi stories brought to life the vernacular of the era of steamboats and whispers of the literary legacy of Samuel Clemens rang throughout.

[Jess Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in 1963, and it shows through on every page. Racist language abounds, in addition to the book declaring several times that history began on the Mississippi when the white man discovered it.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1964,this version published in 2005. Historically fascinating accounts of life on the Mississippi waterways including the Ohio and Missouri Rivers.Accounts of the people, the towns, the communities and life on the river towns from the early 1800's through the early 1900's. Last sections concerned with how the rivers were tamed, to some extent, by the various dams and levees that were built in the late 1950's along the Ohio River system.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is gifted in writing descriptions of what he sees or imagines. I enjoyed his descriptions of life along the rivers and the riverfronts. Some of the later chapters that detailed the lives of specific boats became repetive; but overall, it is enjoyable.

[Carol]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13570622