{"product_id":"down-the-susquehanna-to-the-chesapeake-keystone-books-9780271023366","title":"Down the Susquehanna to the Chesapeake (Keystone Books)","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs the largest river on the East Coast of the United States  the rolling Susquehanna is the indispensable tributary of the Chesapeake Bay  the nations largest estuary. Gathering strength from scores of streams along its 444-mile journey  the river delivers half of the freshwater the bay requires to maintain its ecological balance. Down the Susquehanna to the Chesapeake traces the course of the Susquehanna River through New York  Pennsylvania  and Maryland to the bay. Fifty-six short chapters discuss key locations along the route and how the river changes from sources to sea. These chapters also look at how natural resources influence  and in some ways shape  the lives of the people and their communities. Along the river tour  Jack Brubaker examines the natural and human history of the Susquehanna  exploring how the river has been used and abused  as well as its current condition and future prospects. He explains how the unusually shallow  rocky river has substantially altered its drainage pattern over geologic time and how it continues to cut channels while erasing and creating islands. For generations the Susquehanna has ebbed through the daily lives of the riverside residents  providing water to drink and a place to pump sewage. Floods have humbled those who chose to live close to the rivers edge  and droughts have fretted farmers. A vibrant fishery has provided sustenance and recreation for hundreds of thousands. The Iroquois and the Susquehannocks reluctantly yielded the river to white settlers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries  when the Susquehanna defined the American frontier. Coal mining  lumbering  and hydroelectric and nuclear energy production polluted the water and nearly ruined the landscape beyond hope in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Hope returned in the latter part of the last century as the people of the Susquehanna began restoration efforts. With the aid of more than 70 maps and illustrations  Down the Susquehanna to the Chesapeake provides a bold new look at a dynamic old river. This powerful journey brings alive the Susquehanna  its history  and the colorful personalities who live along its banks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45816268128309,"sku":"ByrdShop_0271023368","price":32.81,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780271023366.jpg?v=1785181325","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/down-the-susquehanna-to-the-chesapeake-keystone-books-9780271023366","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}