Shining Big Sea Water: The Story of Lake Superior

by Norman K. Risjord

In Shining Big Sea Water, historian Norman K. Risjord offers a grand tour of Lake Superior's remarkable history, taking readers through the centuries and into the lives of those who have traveled the lake and inhabited its shores.

Through lively, informative chapters, Risjord begins with the lake's cataclysmic geological birth, then explores the lives of native peoples along the shore before European contact and during the fur trade, showing how Superior functioned as an unusual "blue water highway" for Indians, early explorers, industries, and settlers. He outlines the development of such cities as Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Ashland, Wisconsin; and Two Harbors, Minnesota, and tells the fascinating histories of life-saving lighthouses and famous shipwrecks. In the final chapter, Risjord looks to the future, offering a clear-eyed account of the environmental and economic challenges faced by America's largest freshwater lake.

Interspersed throughout the book are handy tips for travelers, highlighting historically significant sites that illustrate key pieces of Lake Superior's natural and human history, including national lakeshores in the United States and provincial parks in Canada.

Genres: Science Nature

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2008

About the author

AKA Norman Kurt Risjord;
University: BA, College of William and Mary (1953)
University: PhD, University of Virginia (1960)
Professor: History, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Reviews

[Mindy Burroughs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was too good because now I want to move to Lake Superior

[Craig R. Lincoln]

Short, broad history of Lake Superior; mostly the U.S. side. Risjord is a UW emeritus professor and has written similar books for Minnesota and Wisconsin. Useful, especially it's short yet does a good job of sweeping through the happenings that made a difference. He also picks up on keys to problems -- like early iron mining didn't work in the Upper Peninsula Carp River region because costs were too high, not because ore wasn't abundant or rich. Also has a nice summary of the war between the Merritt brothers, Rockefeller and Carnegie in Minnesota.

I also enjoyed telling anecdotes, like the revival of Lake Superior fishing in part because new Scandinavian immigrants were used to working hard in miserable conditions for meager wages.

Overall, this book is revealing and interesting. The broad sweep of its narrative ties a lot of threads together and also helps with understanding the stories behind the names of towns and the like, and the many dreams that died and the few that lived and thrived.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superlative (dare I say, superior? Bwahahaha!) history book. It's tidy, concise, has everything you might possibly need to know, albeit not dense, maps, photos, and a fine appreciation for the lake that dominates the best section of America. If only all history books were as perfectly formed as this one! In an additional plus, pretty much the first half of the book focuses on the tribal peoples around the Lake, on both sides, their history, and their interactions with both the lake and Europeans. There's bits on Superior's Ice Age origins, conservation movements, fishing, mining, sea lamprey infestations, canals, shipwrecks, and lighthouses. Should be the standard.

[Michael Kuhne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while on vacation in Copper Harbor, Michigan, on the tip of the Keewenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan. It is a good, general interest history of Lake Superior.

[Marcia O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book...love Lake Superior...loved the connection with women and water in three different eras. I also learned about the circle drive. Now I want to do that someday!