The Great Lakes Reader

Here are 34 pieces written by men and women of early America who were the first to live, work and explore in this region. The accounts are as varied as their contributors: priests, sailors, historians, explorers, prospectors, writers and even the first woman to shoot the rapids. Primarily non-fiction, these usually take the form of reports on specific incidents-- storms, massacres, deaths, discoveries or description. The fictional pieces are based on real events or local legend. Mr. Havighurst prefaces each article with a note on the author and the circumstances prompting the material. Of historic and/or regional interest.