Rivers, Roads, & Rails

Articles

I have been impressed by the discussion we have had about the articles and I look forward to reading more depth about them in the next week.

Thoughts on Pred Essay

Again, I am posting a colleague's email: this is from Jann. Very insightful. My comments will be below (and via email.)

Hey! Mark!

I forgot to mention that I'd read the Allan Pred article.  I think it goes well with May workshop Day 2.. especially since we will be walking around the Boston Mills...imagining life as it was.  I think the Pred article is a good comparison between established Boston and life in Ohio.

I especially liked the idea of the merchant shopping for the food for the day...oh, and all that attention to what he wore!  I liked that, too.

I was taken by the idea of Harvard....did all the merchants go to Harvard? and the need for connections.  There's something appealing to me about the feeling of responsibility to help someone get a foothold in your chosen vocation.

I wanted to ask you about the presentation of the text on page 67.  It looks almost poem-like, and I wondered about the text on page 68....projects/paths.  Why did Pred do that?  Did I miss something?  Can you help me understand what is going on there?

You know, it might be an idea to give the participants the Pred article on day 1 as preparation or background for Day 2...I think it feeds nicely into that creative activity in the afternoon of Day 2.  Is that what you were thinking?

Jann

Bernstein's Wedding of the Waters

Obviously this cover pix is taken from an Amazon.com, but I want to recommend Peter Bernstien's Wedding of the Waters. Bernstein is a marvelous writer; his earlier book Against the Gods is thoroughly brilliant. Though less trenchant, Wedding of the Waters is a great overview of the Erie Canal's impact, especially its economic importance, to the United States' development.