Tales of a Vanishing River

"Tales of a Vanishing River" by Earl H. Reed is a collection of short narratives set in the early 1900s, which paints a portrait of life intertwined with the Kankakee River, showing both its stunning natural state and the dramatic shifts caused by human actions. The book journeys into past events, bringing to life the experiences of early explorers and the resulting changes to the environment and its people. The book begins with a beautiful image of the Kankakee's original environment, overflowing with animals, plants, and Native American communities. Reed presents the river as a once-booming habitat that was important for both nature and explorers like LaSalle. Reed thinks about how the area has changed, mourning the loss of its natural beauty because of human development; this creates a feeling of longing, hinting at the river's former glory and warning of the results of its manipulation.