Rivers of Change: Trailing the Waterways of Lewis and Clark

by Tom Mullen

If he was reincarnated today, Captain Meriwether Lewis could retrace the journey that his Lewis & Clark expedition made two centuries ago. Within hours he would shake his head in confusion and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Spiral-bound
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974341606
• ISBN13: 9780974341606
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Roundwood Press
• Length: 348 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent non-fiction read

I bought this book after I met the author. He tells a wonderful story about the flood of 93 and how things changed throughout the Midwest. This book is a fast read and is composed of short chapters - perfect for reading a bit before bedtime. Tom paints the picture with his words and offers a unique perspective on the changes we've seen in the nation's waterways over the course of many years.

A thoughtful and non-judgmental trip that will make you think

I had the privilege of taking a river trip with Tom Mullen a few years ago, and I'm pleased to recommend his book, Rivers of Change. In Rivers of Change, Tom Mullen examines the ways in which the Missouri and Columbia Rivers have been changed by man and how that's affected life along the rivers. Tom took this trip after being out of the United States for years as a water management specialist in the Third World. When he decided to move back to the U.S., he took the summer to explore the rivers and get reacquainted with his own country. Buying an old camper, he set out with no particular agenda other than to follow the Missouri and Columbia and meet and talk with people along the way. While a book that focuses on river management might not sound interesting, Tom is so open-minded and willing to listen and observe that you really get a balanced picture of the merits and consequences of managing wild rivers. If you are interested in dams and river ecology, you will find this book to be a refreshing and non-preachy look at the subject, with nice bits of personal philosophy thrown in. Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark"

"Zen and the Ways of Rivers"

Thoughtful and well-researched, and a total pleasure to read. This book is a combination of "Blue Highways" and "Travels with Charley" - a wonderful travelogue of life along backroads (and back rivers!) America. But more importantly - I learned an amazing amount about rivers and water management. The author's obvious knowledge of water systems is presented easily and effectively. Now, living next to the Rio Grande, or visiting New Orleans, I have a much better understanding of how wildlife (and people) are affected by these rivers. If you enjoy reading about real people, their lives (and their rivers), and like to learn a bit at the same time, I highly recommend this book. A great alternative read in these days of "Lewis and Clark remembered".

Enhanced with 30 black-and white photographs and 8 maps

Enhanced with 30 black-and white photographs and 8 maps, Rivers Of Change: Trailing The Waterways Of Lewis & Clark by water resources consultant Tom Mullen introduces the reader to an American yesteryear of devastating floods, exploding steamboats, forced migrations, wandering rivers transforming thriving cities into deserted ghost towns, and wild rivers tamed into domesticated canals by dams and dredges. The focus is on a part of the Lewis and Clark route along the Missouri, Yellowstone, and Columbia rivers. This is a history that is enhanced with colorful characters, quirky historical anecdotes, and candid conversations "from off the beaten trail". Highly recommended as an addition to college and community library American History collections, Rivers Of Change will prove to be especially interesting to non-specialist general readers with an interest in environmental water issues -- past and present.

Rivers of Change makes way to Xanadu

This was published as a column on March 18 in the Atchison Daily Globe, Atchison, Kansas, by Marilyn Fontenot.Marilyn Fontenot is an award winning journalist and investigative reporter for the Globe.-------I'll never forget the day I met Tom Mullen. It was on Memorial Day a couple of years ago when I was assigned to the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas, to take pictures. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the trees were green and the view from the river from Veteran's Memorial Park was breathtaking. When I stood by the monument, under that great American flag, watching the Mighty Mo move on down the banks under one of the last remaining truss bridges in the world, I knew I was swirled around historical surroundings and I liked it. Very proud veterans, who still consider themselves soldiers, came to the river for their annual Memorial Day service not far from the Amelia Earhart Bridge.After I was done, I took a few more minutes to absorb the atmosphere, while thinking of Kubla Khan, the Alph and that "the sacred river," when I noticed someone else in my Xanadue.And he just sat there watching the river.He didn't seem to notice me and it looked like he was studying something - paying close attention to something. So, I walked up to this stranger and stuck out my hand."Hi, I'm Marilyn Fontenot, isn't it a beautiful day?" I said. "It sure is," he said. "I'm Tom Mullen. Glad to meet you."He told me he and his truck, Six Pack, were "just passing through," and they had come by way of St. Louis, Mo. He was on his way to Oregon and was working on a book. He was in Atchison to find Dan Bowen, the wildlife biologist at Benedictine College. I was intrigued and asked him plenty of questions and he so graciously answered. He had places to go, people to meet and things to see, he said.We spent a lot of time together while he was in Atchison. I introduced him to people in town and he found the ones he was looking for. We met at Mueller's Locker for mozzarella sticks and shrimp for lunch and Purcell's Landing for beer and burgers for supper - all along the Missouri River. "Tom, you know the hardest thing for a writer to do is write," I told him when he got discouraged. "I know, I know," he used to say. The time flew by and soon he said adios and I said happy trails.I hadn't heard from him in months then a couple of weeks ago in April I got a package in the mail."Rivers of Change: Trailing the Waterways of Lewis and Clark," by Tom Mullen, was slipped inside complete with my name in the acknowledgements. It didn't take me long to read the entire book. It's one of those books you start and can't stop until it's finished.What a trip that was.He took me with him to exotic places where I met a slew of colorful strangers. He canoed untamed and scenic river stretches, bicycled beside river barges, scuba dived and explored the makings of dam power plants, all the while he kept meeting strangers.Tom found Jim Nower, a farmer in Weston, Mo., who said "I'm 81 now