A classic account of the Wisconsin River's early exploration by French traders and Jesuit priests through the 1940s. Mixing folklore and legend, Derleth tells of the Winnebago, Sauk, and Fox peoples; of lumberjacks, farmers, miners, and preachers; of ordinary folks and famous figures such as the Ringling Brothers, Chief Blackhawk, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Zona Gale. Derleth traces the story of the Wisconsin River from its early exploration by French traders and Jesuit priests through the 1940s, telling of the Winnebago, Sauk, and Fox peoples. Derleth mixes folklore and legend with established history, and his genius as a storyteller brings The Wisconsin to life as a history written from the heart. August W. Derleth (1909–1971) sold his first story at fifteen and was an established author by the time he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1930. Among his some 150 published works are volumes of poetry, fiction, biography, children's stories, and criticism. Although a nationally acclaimed master of suspense and supernatural tales, the Sauk City native was devoted to his regional writing, of which The Wisconsin and Walden West are shining representatives.