A Raft Pilot's Log: A History of the Great Rafting Industry on the Upper Mississippi, 1840-1915

First Edition. Original publisher's dark blue cloth binding with gilt lettering on spine. Top edge gilt. Some pages unopened. 6 1/4" x 9 1/2." 328 pages, complete. Black-and-white plates and in-text illustrations, complete. List of Illustrations in front. Index in back. Pages are virtually pristine and intact except for light age toning, slight wear to extremities, and a former owner's bookplate tipped in on front pastedown ("Ex-Libris Fred. C. Best"; has an illustration of an owl on a book). Covers are very clean and intact except for light rubbing and slight wear to extremities. A Very Good copy. This is an autobiography by Walter A. Blair (1856-?) who worked as a raft pilot on the Mississippi River and was the captain of the steamboat Ten Broeck. He recounts his own experiences and also describes the rafting industry on the Upper Mississippi from 1840-1915. In his account, Blair also describes his early rafting days, the LeClaire Navigation Company, his purchase of the Ten Broeck, the first steamboat to push and handle a raft, the first boat to tow rafts, sawmills, a list of raft pilots from 1840-1913, and rapids pilots. The Appendix contains lists of raft-boats. …