'From These Beginnings' looks at history through biographical portraits of famous men and women whose contributions helped to create the American nation and society. Each biography shows how the person's experiences are linked to historical events, covering everything from the environment to popular culture.
Roderick Frazier Nash is a professor emeritus of history and environmental studies at the University of California Santa Barbara. He was the first person to descend the Tuolumne River (using a raft) [from: en.wikipedia.org]