North Country

Jon K. Lauck is the past president of the Midwestern History Association, teaches history and political science at the University of South Dakota, and is Editor-in-Chief of Middle West Review. He has authored or edited several books, including The Lost Region: Toward a Revival of Midwestern History; Daschle vs. Thune; Finding a New Midwestern History; and three volumes of The Plains Political Tradition. Gleaves Whitney is Executive Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the author or editor of 17 books on presidential and midwestern history.

From deep forests to Great Lakes, from Ojibwe to Finns, from the bones of a mastodon to the philosophy of Russel Kirk, the subjects of these engaging essays illuminate a subregion within the Midwest, one without the stereotypes of corn, soybeans, and factories. The particularities of the North Country offer fascinating evidence that place matters, that in the northern regions of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are people, land, and cultures that open distinctive insights into the American experiment."-James H. Madison, author of The Indiana Way: A State History "The Midwest is more than one geography, one livelihood, or one or two crops. North Country defines and explains this important sub-region of the Midwest, emphasizes place and culture as crucial elements of human existence, and provides a range of ways to think about both."-Paula M. Nelson, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Platteville