christa reviewed In the Watershed by Ryan Schnurr
extreeeeemely niche book that may have been written just for me
5 stars
the maumee river spans from fort wayne, indiana, to toledo, ohio, where it joins lake erie. between, it snakes through small towns and farmland. the maumee also more or less exactly covers the area where I lived my life until 18.
in this book, the author decides to walk the river (or as close as he can get, hello private land) from start to finish. while he does, he tells the story of the region as it is defined by this watershed, starting with its native peoples who were forced off the land, to the draining of the great black swamp, to more modern problems caused by that draining and industrialized agriculture. all of this is near to my heart and of deep interest—I have a haunting curiosity about home, and an ache that I feel like I never have enough facts about it (one of the many reasons I …
the maumee river spans from fort wayne, indiana, to toledo, ohio, where it joins lake erie. between, it snakes through small towns and farmland. the maumee also more or less exactly covers the area where I lived my life until 18.
in this book, the author decides to walk the river (or as close as he can get, hello private land) from start to finish. while he does, he tells the story of the region as it is defined by this watershed, starting with its native peoples who were forced off the land, to the draining of the great black swamp, to more modern problems caused by that draining and industrialized agriculture. all of this is near to my heart and of deep interest—I have a haunting curiosity about home, and an ache that I feel like I never have enough facts about it (one of the many reasons I did my college thesis about it, and bake in extra time to wander to every family visit). this is a history and tale of modern ecology that speaks to both. why are there native names for schools and towns but no native peoples (bad treaties and removal)? why was my town called lima (from malaria medicine from lima peru; mosquitos were rampant in the swamp)? why does the farm land flood so regularly (lack of natural wetland)? why do algae blooms spring up near annually, preventing my grandpa from walking around the lake (agricultural runoff)? what's that green scum on the canal by my mom's house (algae bloom, but also did you know canals were only used a few years, then trains came)? anyway, all this is to say: this book was deeply satisfying to me.
I have no idea if it's interesting at all to someone who doesn't know this small area of northwestern ohio, but I'd say if the description of the book intrigues you then you should pick it up! belt publishing at its best