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The Allegheny River: Watershed of the Nation
Of all the rivers in the country, few can claim as long, diverse, and colorful a history as the Allegheny. Jim Schafer and Mike Sajna take us on a trip from its mouth to its headwaters, charting the Allegheny River’s history from its creation during the Ice Age to the present. Using historical records and accounts, interviews, personal experiences, and over 150 contemporary and historical photographs, Schafer and Sajna vividly portray the mighty Allegheny. The Allegheny played a key role in the French and Indian War, and after the Revolution it was the main thoroughfare for immigrants heading west to settle America from Ohio to the Northwest Territory, thus earning Pittsburgh the title "Gateway to West." Part of the river's story includes its role in the Industrial Revolution, for it once bore the environmental scars of unrestricted industrialization. Today it has rebounded to become one of the best fisheries in the state and home to a diverse collection of flora and fauna, including several endangered species. It is also now one of the most heavily used rivers for recreation in the country. Throughout the text, Sajna weaves vignettes with the famous figures and interesting character who have encountered the river, from George Washington, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and Andrew Carnegie, to Seneca Chief Cornplanter, John Wilkes Booth, "Johnny Appleseed," and Rachel Carson. He also interviews contemporary people who live, work, or take inspiration from the river, including a woodcarver, a riverboat captain, and vacationers and naturalists. Through words and photographs, Schafer and Sajna depict the ever-changing face of the river.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 5, 2020
While some of the writing seems a little dated, just 25 years after publication, this is a wonderful book of stories, information, history, and photographs. I definitely recommend going along the journey from the Point in Pittsburgh to a field in Potter County where the Allegheny River begins in a string of marshy puddles.
January 15, 2011
A nice history of European settelement and American development in the Allegheny watershed. Schafer does a nice job of describing areas along the entire river, including some natural history and ecology. Excellent photography. A good introduction to a watershed I've only recently moved into.
November 23, 2022
Easily one of my Top 5 books read (out of 75) in 2022.
In early October I was up in North Central Pennsylvania in what is called, "The Wilds", with my wife. We were in Coudersport, a lovely, well preserved town that serves as the county seat of Potter County, known as "God's Country". While strolling through town and shopping, we came across a series of concrete sluices that serve locally as the stream bed and flood control project. Not far from here is the headwaters of 3 separate waterways that serve as headwaters to three rivers that lead into three very different waterways. The St. Lawrence Sea Way, The Gulf of Mexico, and the Chesapeake Bay. The authors trace the rivers to the very hillside on the farm where the feeding springs are located.
In the earlier chapters of the book, from the starting point at "The Point" of the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, the writer - Mike Sajna, relies heavily on the wisdom, experience, and expertise of the renowned river skipper, Captain Fred Wray, who probably knew the Allegheny River than any other man in the Twentieth Century. Fred Wray had himself written a really solid book on the river and his experiences on it- years earlier. Sanja updates the story, travels the length of the river, and covers the entire length telling its detailed history along the way .
The birth of the oil industry at Oil City, the mills of the Pittsburgh area, coke , steel, and glass, the native Iroquios nation, the first white trappers and loggers, John Rockefeller, Rachel Carson, George Washington, and interestingly, even John Wilke Boothe are woven into this story.
Look for the eerie (not Erie!) mention of the possible effect of Shale oil drilling (fracking) mentioned here, almost as a premonition, even before the practice was even really being used as this book was published back in 1992.
Although as mentioned, above the City of Kittanning, the river has been "restored" and may even be referred to as "primitive".
One must wonder what the water quality is now- as fracking is a very common practice in many areas of pennsylvania.
(Interestingly, fracking is banned in both New York and in Maryland- neighboring states.)
While the many color photos taken by skilled photographer impress, as do the many historical photos used, this is much more than a coffee table book that I mistaken it for. This is a living history book and you can't help but feel yourself floating down the river as you turn the pages.
I am already planning a vacation in 2023 where my wife and I can visit some of the spots mentioned, where we can escape- "Into the Wilds"
In early October I was up in North Central Pennsylvania in what is called, "The Wilds", with my wife. We were in Coudersport, a lovely, well preserved town that serves as the county seat of Potter County, known as "God's Country". While strolling through town and shopping, we came across a series of concrete sluices that serve locally as the stream bed and flood control project. Not far from here is the headwaters of 3 separate waterways that serve as headwaters to three rivers that lead into three very different waterways. The St. Lawrence Sea Way, The Gulf of Mexico, and the Chesapeake Bay. The authors trace the rivers to the very hillside on the farm where the feeding springs are located.
In the earlier chapters of the book, from the starting point at "The Point" of the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, the writer - Mike Sajna, relies heavily on the wisdom, experience, and expertise of the renowned river skipper, Captain Fred Wray, who probably knew the Allegheny River than any other man in the Twentieth Century. Fred Wray had himself written a really solid book on the river and his experiences on it- years earlier. Sanja updates the story, travels the length of the river, and covers the entire length telling its detailed history along the way .
The birth of the oil industry at Oil City, the mills of the Pittsburgh area, coke , steel, and glass, the native Iroquios nation, the first white trappers and loggers, John Rockefeller, Rachel Carson, George Washington, and interestingly, even John Wilke Boothe are woven into this story.
Look for the eerie (not Erie!) mention of the possible effect of Shale oil drilling (fracking) mentioned here, almost as a premonition, even before the practice was even really being used as this book was published back in 1992.
Although as mentioned, above the City of Kittanning, the river has been "restored" and may even be referred to as "primitive".
One must wonder what the water quality is now- as fracking is a very common practice in many areas of pennsylvania.
(Interestingly, fracking is banned in both New York and in Maryland- neighboring states.)
While the many color photos taken by skilled photographer impress, as do the many historical photos used, this is much more than a coffee table book that I mistaken it for. This is a living history book and you can't help but feel yourself floating down the river as you turn the pages.
I am already planning a vacation in 2023 where my wife and I can visit some of the spots mentioned, where we can escape- "Into the Wilds"
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews