The Allegheny River: Watershed of the Nation (A Keystone Book)

By Mike Sajna

Book Overview

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."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0271008369
• ISBN13: 9780271008363
• Release Date: October 1992
• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 3.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.9" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

A fine book about a little known river and its history

I recently purchased this work in a used book store and, if you have that opportunity, I strongly suggest you do the same. The pictures are done in four color format, follow the text, and are of high quality. I would have preferred more detailed maps, but this is a small quibble. The text is endlessly entertaining and extremely well written for persons of all ages. The format is a bit unusual in that the tour of the river begins at its end in Pittsburgh, where it meets the Monongahela to form the Ohio River, and runs upstream to the source. Many interviews with persons familiar with the river and its history form a great deal of the text, and the factual development is very well done. The Allegheny is the northeasternmost tributary of the Mississippi River system and the only one that drains part of New York State. It was the pathway for many who moved west of the Appalachians. Many persons who traversed this route when they were young explored the West as they grew older, and theis connection is excellently demonstrated in a fascinating, seamless manner. The Allegheny almost drowned George Washington as a young man, became one of our first industrially-used rivers, and is now in the process of being restored as a clean stream. In short, the Allegheny, almost more than any other river, reflects the history of the development of our country. I believe you will find this coffee-table sized book a fascinating, useful addition to your library, and I highly recommend it.

serves as guide for canoe/ fishing excursions....

M Sanja is a field Outdoor editor-Nature & Fishing PSU Press just published Art Parker's "Monongahela River" It is unique to compare both watersheds, since these rivers converge to form the Ohio River.