Can I read Western rivermen, 1763-1861 : Ohio and Mississippi boatmen and the myth of the alligator horse on EtoBox?

Western rivermen, 1763-1861 : Ohio and Mississippi boatmen and the myth of the alligator horse by Michael Allen, Michael Allen is a history book available to read on EtoBox.

What is Western rivermen, 1763-1861 : Ohio and Mississippi boatmen and the myth of the alligator horse about?

Western Rivermen , the first documented sociocultural history of its subject, is a fascinating book. Michael Allen explores the rigorous lives of professional boatmen who plied non-steam vessels--flatboats, keelboats, and rafts--on the Ohio and lower Mississippi rivers from 1763-1861. Allen first considers the mythical "half horse, half alligator" boatmen who were an integral part of the folklore of the time. Americans of the Jacksonian and pre-Civil War period perceived the rivermen as hard-drinking, straight-shooting adventurers on the frontier. Their notions were reinforced by romanticized portrayals of the boatmen in songs, paintings, newspaper humor, and literature. Allen contends that these mythical depictions of the boatmen were a reflection of the yearnings of an industrializing people for what they thought to be a simpler time. Allen demonstrates, however, that the actual lives of the rivermen little resembled their portrayals in popular culture. Drawing on more than eighty firsthand accounts--ranging from a short letter to a four-volume memoir--he provides a rounded view of the boatmen that reveals the lonely, dangerous nature of their profession. He also discusses the so

Who reads Western rivermen, 1763-1861 : Ohio and Mississippi boatmen and the myth of the alligator horse?

Author

Michael Allen, Michael Allen

Publisher

Louisiana State University Press

Published

1994

Language

EN

ISBN

9780807119075

Category

history

Subjects

Mystery, Literary Fiction, History

Rating

4 / 5 (3 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14