Mostly Mississippi

by Speakman, Harold; Speanman, Russell Lindsay

• ISBN13: 9780816644384
• ISBN10: 0816644381
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of Minnesota Pr

Summary

In 1925, Harold Speakman and his new wife, Frances "Russell" Lindsay Speakman, journeyed down the entire Mississippi River, from the headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, on a twenty-foot houseboat.A classic American travel narrative that captures the soul of the river, Mostly Mississippi features lyrical descriptions of encounters with archetypal characters, landscapes, and experiences. The Speakmans meet lumberjacks in northern Minnesota and Mormons at Nauvoo, Illinois, as well as roustabouts, hoboes, farmers, drifters, Southern grandees, Native Americans, collegians thirsting for the real world, and convicts. They also meet William Alexander Percy, the "Poet of the Delta"; Laura Frazer, the inspiration for Mark Twain's Becky Thatcher; and the prototypical "lady from Dubuque" as described by the New Yorker.Illustrated by Harold Speakman's paintings and sketches and Russell Speakman's delightful drawings, Mostly Mississippi captures the deepening emotional bond of a newly married couple embarked on a grand adventure.Harold Speakman (1888--1928) was a writer, poet, and artist. He wrote eight books, including the travel narratives Hilltops in Galilee (1923), Beyond Shanghai (1922), and Here's Ireland (1925).

Author Biography

Harold Speakman (1888-1928) was a writer, poet, and artist. He wrote eight books, including the travel narratives

Table of Contents

I DUCKS & PERSONAE	1	(13)
II THE YOUNG RIVER	14	(15)
III THE THICKET	29	(12)
IV LADY INTO CATFISH	41	(10)
V SSS-BANG!	51	(11)
VI SOME WHO STRAY	62	(20)
VII GOOD-BY CANOE	82	(15)
VIII SHANTYBOAT	97	(9)
IX OFF	106	(13)
X A WRECK OR TWO	119	(9)
XI "YOU'LL TIE UP-"	128	(10)
XII SLOUGH, BIRD, MODEL	138	(11)
XIII CITIES	149	(13)
XIV MORMONS	162	(11)
XV BECKY AND IGNITION	173	(18)
XVI THE SMOKY SAINT	191	(17)
XVII LAND OF EGYPT	208	(14)
XVIII HERE'S DIXIE	222	(19)
XIX ALONG THE LEVEES	241	(14)
XX COLOR OF THE SOUTH	255	(18)
XXI BUGLE ECHO	273	(10)
XXII MEMORY LANE	283	(14)
XXIII HOBO JUNGLE	297	(11)
XXIV DRIFT	308	(15)
XXV THE TIDE	323	(9)
XXVI THE BAYOUS	332	(13)
XXVII THE JOYOUS CITY	345