Cascades of the Big Sioux River: A Natural & Cultural History - Paperback

by Peter Carrels (Author)

There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places. - Wendell Berry

This is the story of a dramatic landscape in an improbable location. Since the last continental glacier receded, the rollicking falls of the Big Sioux River were exposed as a geographical anomaly. Early inhabitants of the Northern Plains were amazed that a stair-stepping series of waterfalls existed in the midst of vast, rolling prairie. Today's visitors marvel that this rugged, dynamic setting survives in the heart of thriving, bustling Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Environmental author Peter Carrels recounts the human activities and inclinations that first disfigured and then later rescued this distinct, unexpected landmark known today as Falls Park.

Author Biography

Peter Carrels is an award-winning environmental writer, educator and advocate specializing in descriptions of the human impacts to rivers and watersheds. He and his colleagues at High Country News earned a George Polk Award for their investigative reporting about rivers. Carrels's first book, Uphill Against Water, was described as one of the most important books explaining water and river politics in the American West.