Okay, this is a bit of nepotism, but, hey, it's my site:) Â Although this is more than just nepotism, we do have many readers in the Midwestern United States and this book especially relevant, although I think this book offers a great read and cautionary tale for people anywhere.
I live in Middletown, Ohio which sits along the banks of the generally placid Great Miami River. Â But 100 years ago this month the river morphed into a monster, scouring the Great Miami Valley of anything in it's path. Â The snow melt and heavy spring rains of 1913 impacted not just the Great Miami River, but rivers all across the Midwest turning them into swollen, angry channels of death. Â I remember hearing stories about the flood when I was a child and, even today, high water marks from the crest of that great flood are plastered passively on poles downtown.
The flood prompted the river control systems we have today and the Great Miami River has ever since been contained by a series of dams and dikes that is supposed to prevent such a disaster from ever occurring again. Personally, I'm a little skeptical. I think Mother Nature is our master and not the other way around, Mother Nature will always come back to reclaim what was hers. It may not be for another 100 years, but she'll back and along with it the raging, frothing river.
JoEtta
There was a very nice review of this book in the Dayton Daily News yesterday by Vick Mickunas in his Book Nook column. Here is a link to it (hope it works) http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/booknook/entries/2013/03/17/remembering_the_great_flood_of.html/
Carolyn Kirk
I usually don't buy books. I checked and my local library system has bought this one. I have requested it to read. Looks very interesting. I have never heard of the Great Miami River.
Linda from KY
Around here the flood of 1937 gets all the press and the attention. I had never even heard of a flood in 1913, even though the Great Miami River is part of the reader-/viewership of Cincinnati stations and newspapers. It sounds like a very interesting book.
SueAnn
Kevin- We just returned home this moment...with an interesting piece of paper,hand written during the flood...I think it would be worth sending it on to your brother.it has the floodin the words of the people stcuk and how they were helping and their observations of bodies floating...furniture washing down the street,,,I could have Larry fax it to you, We were at a meeting of the Oxford Museum Assoc.We help out at apple butter time...BUT...if you would like this letter and more info on the person that wrote it..he was an attorney.....you got my e0mail,,send me a yay or nay....and I can have Larry fax it to you from work.OK?