Dennis McCann

press release: In This Storied River, longtime journalist Dennis McCann takes us on an intimate tour of the Upper Mississippi—from Dubuque, Iowa, to the Minnesota headwaters, and dozens of places in between. Far more than a travel guide, This Storied River celebrates the Upper Mississippi’s colorful history and the unique role the river has played in shaping the Midwest.

McCann explores the stories of people and places linked by the Mighty Mississippi's past, informed by newspaper accounts, local historical society documents, and the shoe-leather research of an experienced reporter with a deep love for his subject. Each chapter includes a short list of must-see sites for the modern-day explorer.

Dennis McCann has written often about Mississippi River events in his twenty-five years at the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In 1994, he spent four days on  paddleboats slowly making their way from the Quad Cities to La Crosse, Wis., as part of the re-creation of the 1854 Grand Excursion, the first government-led effort to get the Upper Mississippi opened for commerce, farming and other uses. He is the author of the Society Press books This Superior Place: Stories of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands and Badger Boneyards: The Eternal Rest of the Story.