"Since the days of Mark Twain, Americans have been fascinated by the world of the riverboats that once travelled the heartland's waterways. With From the Center of America, Robert Swenson gives us a gift that invigorates that romance. His is a labor of love inspired by childhood memories of that riverine world and informed by decades of research. Readers of the region and the nation at large will thank him for his labors." Michael C. Batinski, author of Forgetting and the Forgotten: A Thousand Years of Contested Histories in the Heartland
"Swenson brings the towns and shipyards of the Reach to life. This book is essential reading for understanding the great steamboat era, the impact of the Civil War, and the transportation history of our expanding Republic." Ken Robison, historian, Overholser Historical Research Center, Fort Benton
"The product of two decades of meticulous research, Robert Swenson's book is a welcome addition to our understanding of the Lower Ohio River Valley, its boatbuilding, and its national trade connections. The four rivers of the region were critical to the development of the Midwest, the South, and the Great Plains. Swenson paints a vivid historical canvas against the backdrop of national events, enabling us to witness the interactions of trade, culture, and politics underlying the expansion of America." Paul A. Tenkotte, chair, History and Heritage Committee, Ohio River Way
"Robert Swenson's long-anticipated book about steamboat construction on the Ohio, Mississippi, Cumberland, and Tennessee rivers is a landmark study we hope will inspire historians and archaeologists to get their hands dirty exploring this lost era in American industry. The rivers still have much to reveal about the boats that plowed them, and Swenson, an architect and teacher by profession, is exactly the right person to take us on this muddy-water journey. Though the steamboat era is a memory, this book is a whistle call to all those still standing on the pier waiting to take a ride into history." William Furry, executive director, Illinois State Historical Society
