Beaver River Country

Encompassing the lands immediately surrounding the upper reaches of the Beaver River from its headwaters at Lake Lila to Beaver Lake at the settlement of Number Four, Beaver River country is the largest undisturbed tract of forest in the entire northeastern United States. During the nineteenth century it was widely considered to be the very heart of the Adirondacks and was visited by thousands of tourists seeking outdoor recreation. The area boasted a busy railroad station, two grand hotels, an exclusive resort, and an elaborate great camp, as well as dozens of guides camps and sporting clubs. Pitts traces the generations of people who inhabited the region, from the ancestors of the Haudenosaunee, to the early European settlers, to the vacation communities and seasonal visitors. With each generation, Pitts shows how Beaver River country escaped the forces that fragmented and destroyed the wilderness in much of the Northeast. The forest and waters that attracted the early visitors are still there, preserved by a combination of happenstance and dedicated effort. Filled with rare vintage photographs, this book is a vivid portrait of this wild region, revealing how it came to be and why it survives.

This book explores a relatively small, but interesting and anomalous, region of Alberta between the North Saskatchewan and the Battle Rivers. Ecological themes, such as climatic cycles, ground water availability, vegetation succession and the response of wildlife, and the impact of fires, shape the possibilities and provide the challenges to those who have called the region home or used its varied resources: Indians, Metis, and European immigrants.

"A timely book that addresses serious questions facing those of us who love 'The Big Wild.'" --Kenneth Glasser, Chairman, Otsego County Board of Commissioners "I seldom have been so moved by any writing as I have byPigeon River Country. [It] has a power, a clarity, a message that springs from a vision, but also from a deep, inner soul." --John F. Barton, retired journalist, United Press International and U.S. Information Agency The eagerly awaited new edition of a classic offers memories, myths, and meanings of the largest contiguous piece of wild area in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The Pigeon River Country is a remote and beautiful forest in northern Michigan. Ecologically distinct from most other areas of the United States, this mysterious country, shrouded in forest and laced with waterways, has a unique and storied past. Dale Clarke Franz has collected personal accounts from various people who have called the Pigeon River Country their home--including loggers; conservationists; mill workers; campers; even Ernest Hemingway, who said he loved the forest "better than anything in the world." There are also comprehensive discussions of the area's flora and fauna, guides to the trails and camping sites, and a photo section showcasing the changing face of this hidden national treasure. This updated edition explores why and how the outdoors moves and compels us. While it considers life beyond the boundaries of Pigeon River Country, it is steeped in the specifics of a place that lives mostly on its own, instead of human, terms. Dale Clarke Franz lived in northern Michigan for 22 years. He has been a newspaper editor, bookstore manager, U.S. Navy officer, college instructor, and portrait photographer. He administered the Otsego County Planning and Zoning Department, which encompassed more than 500 square miles. More recently, he has been a writer for theAnn Arbor Observer. Visit his Web site at dalefranz.org.

Atlases accompany 1885-1891, 1894,1895, 1897-1904.