About the book
In early North America, carrying watercraft—usually canoes—and supplies across paths connecting one body of water to another was essential in the establishment of both Indigenous and European mobility in the continent’s interior. The Chicago portage, a network of overland canoe routes that connected the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds, grew into a crossroads of interaction as Indigenous and European people vied for its control during early contact and colonization. John William Nelson charts the many peoples that traversed and sought power along Chicago’s portage paths from the seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries, including Indigenous Illinois traders, French explorers, Jesuit missionaries, Meskwaki warriors, British officers, Anishinaabe headmen, and American settlers. Nelson compellingly demonstrates that even deep within the interior, power relations fluctuated based on the control of waterways and local environmental knowledge.
Pushing beyond political and cultural explanations for Indigenous-European relations in the borderlands of North America, Nelson places environmental and geographic realities at the center of the history of Indigenous Chicago, offering a new explanation for how the United States gained control of the North American interior through a two-pronged subjugation of both the landscapes and peoples of the continent.
Editions of Muddy Ground
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469675190
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469675206
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469675220
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469675213
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890864307
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890864291
Read an Excerpt
In early North America, carrying watercraft—usually canoes—and supplies across paths connecting one body of water to another was essential in the establishment of both Indigenous and European mobility in the continent’s interior. The Chicago portage, a network of overland canoe routes that connected the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds, grew into a crossroads of interaction as Indigenous and European people vied for its control during early contact and colonization. John William Nelson charts the many peoples that traversed and sought power along Chicago’s portage paths from the seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries, including Indigenous Illinois traders, French explorers, Jesuit missionaries, Meskwaki warriors, British officers, Anishinaabe headmen, and American settlers. Nelson compellingly demonstrates that even deep within the interior, power relations fluctuated based on the control of waterways and local environmental knowledge.
Pushing beyond political and cultural explanations for Indigenous-European relations in the borderlands of North America, Nelson places environmental and geographic realities at the center of the history of Indigenous Chicago, offering a new explanation for how the United States gained control of the North American interior through a two-pronged subjugation of both the landscapes and peoples of the continent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Muddy Ground about?
In early North America, carrying watercraft—usually canoes—and supplies across paths connecting one body of water to another was essential in the establishment of both Indigenous and European mobility in the continent’s interior. The Chicago portage, a network of overland canoe routes that connected the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds, grew into a crossroads of interaction as Indigenous and European people vied for its control during early contact and colonization. John William Nelson charts the many peoples that traversed and sought power along Chicago’s portage paths from the seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries, including Indigenous Illinois traders, French explorers, Jesuit missionaries, Meskwaki warriors, British officers, Anishinaabe headmen, and American settlers. Nelson compellingly demonstrates that even deep within the interior, power relations fluctuated based on the control of waterways and local environmental knowledge.
Pushing beyond political and cultural explanations for Indigenous-European relations in the borderlands of North America, Nelson places environmental and geographic realities at the center of the history of Indigenous Chicago, offering a new explanation for how the United States gained control of the North American interior through a two-pronged subjugation of both the landscapes and peoples of the continent.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Muddy Ground?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Muddy Ground?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469675190
How long is Muddy Ground and how many pages does it have?
Muddy Ground has 288 page(s)
Is Muddy Ground part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series The David J. Weber Series in the New Borderlands History
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Muddy Ground?
John William Nelson
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Muddy Ground is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469675190) and paperback(ISBN 9781469675206) and ebook(ISBN 9781469675220) and ebook(ISBN 9781469675213) and ebook(ISBN 9798890864307) and pdf(ISBN 9798890864291)
Where can I buy Muddy Ground online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Muddy Ground from below
Where can I buy Muddy Ground?