Further Into the Wilderness

Description

Sequel to Beyond the Far Horizon by Charles Cleland.

The fascinating story of historic figure and adventurer Alexander Henry, a noted fur trader in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior regions during the eighteenth century. He was a canoe traveler on the river highways and lakes of the region and walked hundreds of miles through the immense forests and featureless prairies in all seasons. He charted the geography of much of central North America for generations of Americans and Canadians who today figuratively follow his snowshoe tracks and the wake of his canoes. Henry also provided one of the very few first-hand descriptions of Ojibwe, Odawa, Cree and Assiniboine culture at the time when native people were still living from the land, speaking their own languages, and practicing their age-old cultural traditions.

About the Author: Charles Cleland is a scholar, researcher and author specializing in Chteion cultures and history of the native people of the upper Great Lakes region He was born and raised in Kane Pennsylvania. After earning an Bachelor of Arts degree in biology at Denison University and a Master’s of Science degree in zoology at the University of Arkansas, Cleland entered the University of Michigan to study anthropology and archaeology, where he received a Master’s of Arts degree and PhD. After graduation he began a thirty-six year career of teaching and research at Michigan State University. During this period, Cleland published over ninety scholarly articles and five books focused on the native people of the upper Great Lakes region. In 1978 Michigan State University named Dr. Cleland as a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology. Cleland also supported his professional organizations by serving as president of both the Society of Professional Archaeologists and the Society for Historical Archaeology. In 2000 the latter organization awarded Cleland its highest honor, the J.C. Harrington Medal, for his overall contributions to the field of Historie Archaeology. Besides his teaching and research duties, Cleland provided expert testimony in many federal court cases on behalf of Great Lakes Indian tribes, The tribes were suing for the recognition of their hunting, fishing, and gathering rights under nineteenth-century treaties with the United States and most were recognized as a result of lawsuits from the 1970s through the 1990s. Cleland retired in 2000 and lives with his wife, Nancy, in northern Michigan where he remains active in research and writing. His first fiction
book, Beyond the Far Horizon, Adventures of a Fur Trader, was published in 2015 and was based upon the early years of fur trader and historic figure Alexander Henry.