Description
Book SynopsisOffering sea-level access through the Adirondacks, the Hudson River once helped the country's largest and most innovative iron, cotton, and ship manufacturers send their goods to remote locations around the world. This book tells the history of the "magical alchemy between a river, its people, and the ideas of the times."
Trade Review"People who love the Hudson will love this book." -- Publishers Weekly "A story of interaction between people and the environment and a story of continuing inspiration and renewal. All libraries will be enriched by this volume." -- Library Journal "A commanding and inspiring biography of a river... The story of the Hudson River is nothing less than the story of nature's resiliency and civilization's evolution." -- Booklist "Dunwell's clear, fast-moving prose conveys a wealth of information to form a commanding and inspiring biography of a river." -- Booklist (starred review) "Succinct and comprehensive... with lavish, deftly selected illustrations, photographs, and maps. This is a handsome, well-written, beautifully produced volume." -- Philip Terrie, Adirondack Explorer "A comprehensive portrait of our well-loved waterway." -- Hudson Valley Magazine
Table of ContentsForeword, by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Prologue: River of Imagining, People of Passion and Dreams Acknowledgments 1. World's End, World Trade, World River: Henry Hudson's Failed Quest, Adriaen Van der Donck's Utopian Vision, and the Legend of the Storm Ship 2. The River That Unites, the River That Divides: King George and George Washington Vie for the Hudson 3. America's River of Empire: Robert Fulton's Folly, Robert Livingston's Venture Capital, and DeWitt Clinton's Ditch Spark the Rise of New York Port 4. First Stop on the American Tour: Europe Discovers Sylvanus Thayer's West Point, a Catskills Sunrise, and a River That Defines the American Character 5. America's First Artists and Writers: The Sacred River of Thomas Cole, the Mythic River of Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper 6. The Industrialized River: Gouverneur Kemble's Weapon Works, Henry Burden's Iron Foundries, and Colonel Stevens's Engine Factory 7. Going up the River for Health and Fun: New York City Journalist N. P. Willis Survives TB and Discovers an Idle Wild 8. Design with Nature: The Landscape Gardens of A. J. Downing, the Architecture of A. J. Davis, and the Inspiration for Central Park and Riverside Drive 9. Gateway to America, Escape Route to Canada: Immigrants Greet a Beacon of Liberty, John Jervis Creates a New River Route, and a Railroad Goes Underground 10. Millionaires' Row: The River Castles of J. P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and Frederic Church, and the Floating Palaces of Manhattan's West Side 11. A Forest to Protect a Commercial River: Land Surveyor Verplanck Colvin, Photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard, and the New York Board of Trade Campaign to Safeguard the Hudson in the Adirondacks 12. An Interstate Park for the Palisades and the Highlands and a New Progressive Vision: Elizabeth Vermilye's Women's Clubs, Edward and Mary Harriman's Park, Mrs. Olmsted's Fresh Air Camp, and Margaret Sage's Charity 13. Over, Under, Across, and Through: Civil Engineers Triumph Over Nature, Except in New York Harbor 14. Surviving the Depression, Connecting with Nature: FDR's River of Dignity, Robert Moses's Riverside Drive, and John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s Parkway 15. The 1960s: Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper, Clearwater, and The Nature Conservancy Campaign to Save a Mountain and Revive a "Dead" River Epilogue: A River of Power, and the Power of Passion Notes Bibliography Index
