Oneota Flow: The Upper Iowa River and Its People

by David S. Faldet

Whether profiling the chief of the last hunter-gatherers on the river, an early settler witnessing her first prairie fire and a modern wildlife biologist using fire to manage prairies, the manager of the Granger Farmer’s Co-op Creamery, or a landowner whose bottomlands are continually eaten away by floods, Faldet steadily develops the central idea that people are walking tributaries of the river basin in which they make their homes.

Faldet moves through the history of life along the now-polluted Upper Iowa, always focusing on the ways people depend on the river, the environment, and the resources of the region. He blends contemporary conversations, readings from the historical record, environmental research, and personal experience to show us that the health of the river is best guaranteed by maintaining the biological communities that nurture it. In return, taking care of the Upper Iowa is the best way to take care of our future.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written account of the people & ecosystem of the Upper Iowa River in northeastern Iowa (& a bit of southern Minnesota) from before human habitation to the present. For someone who's more accustomed to a more linear style of narrative & argument, the short sections that jumped around in time were at times a bit frustrating, but that strategy did succeed in making the past more immediately relevant to the present.

[Amy Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-researched, concise book made me appreciate even more the Bluffs and the Cedar River, beautiful parts of Iowa that I call home. Learning about the history of how humans have shaped and impacted the water also emphasizes how important it is to keep our water clean.

I also like how the author incorporated his own family history and connection to the Cedar River, and where his research took him. He was very proactive, traversing into caves, canoeing down the Cedar River, talking with local farmers and family members, and his observations from these interactions. This made the book more personable and supplemented well with the extensive research of the region.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about an important body of water that literally shaped how humans had moved and incorporated it into their daily lives. However, our actions come with consequences and can wreck havoc on the natural resources we depend on for survival, which the author repeatedly points out in different ways. While this book looks at the history of the region, it also showcases the problem, but also solutions, that people can do to be more sustainable and alleviate the harm we do on our waters.

[Adam Weis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great natural and cultural history of northeast Iowa and the Oneota River. Fun to read if you're related to that corner of the world. I appreciate that Faldet committed a good portion to pre-settlement history. A little slow at times but only real complaint is he didn't give as much explanation of the names of places and the river itself as I was hoping. Still not entirely sure what Oneota means or where it comes from, but it sure is better than Upper Iowa.

[Becky Ahrendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a suspenseful pageturner, but it's interesting to think about how the water is part of us and we also affect the water. I have learned about he smell of rain and micro- environments of fish fish that only survive in cold water, and how important grass or tree buffers to prevent erosion. I was aware that this was required reading for Luther college Freshmen and jumped on the bandwagon.

style: the author tells about visiting, touring with a guide and their opinions, walking, fishing on the land in current day, and then there will be a break in the page and he'll tell some history, of what happened on that land in the era of the chapter - perhaps it will be about the feelings of the indians who lived there and their interactions with the water and the traders, or it might be about the settlers.

The Smell of Rain: Where it starts (bacterial spores, Leopold: Round
river - the land is not only soil but also plants,
animals, air and water, all caught up in a single stream.
The Two Names of the River: Geological beginnings (a map i missed!)p6
Upper Iowa/Oneota-people who sprung from the rock.
The chapters are:
Big River in the Driftless: the Ice age (unchanged? fish)
Roots and fire: 8,000 - 500 B.C.E. (erosion, conservation, burning)
The old ones: 500 B.C.E. - 1633 C.E. (passenger pigeons..)
Unknown world: 1634-1832 (exploring coldwater cave/indian negotiations) I'm pausing here, to look back at what i've
read, and re-read (record) the chapter titles. I especially
wanted to get this quote in: p. 77

Walking Turtle (a Winnebago) said, "My fathers I did not know that any of my relations had any land-it is true everyone owns his own lodge and the grounds he may cultivate- I had thought that the rivers were the common property of all Red Skins and not used exclusively by any particular nation.

This would definitely have more meaning for those who live in the area, the students who will see the topography and the towns as the go to school there for 4 years, (it makes me want to re-rea as I tour the area) but it also opens my eyes to the topography of my area, and to the practices we have here that affect each other.

[Hannah Breckbill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! This is a book that I will read again and again, as long as I live as part the upper Iowa river system. I wish all places had local histories so well written and meaningful.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it as homeowrk for a class and it was very interesting because it was so close to home and the author is a great speaker as well. I even had his wife as a teacher and she was great also.