DIY Homeschooler

Story of the Great Lakes by Marie E. Gilchrist is a beautifully illustrated public domain ebook.

The story begins before the arrival of Columbus to the New World and covers:

• The arrival of European explorers.
• The War of 1812.
• Steamboats.
• The Soo Canal.
• The timber industry.
• Mining.
• A tour of various cities.

Story of the Great Lakes is a 40-page book. The book was published in 1942, and quite a bit has happened since the book’s publication. We have provided suggestions below to help you learn more. However this is a great introductory start to learning more about the Great Lakes region! And it is free.

Free eBook

• Read online
• PDF

Suggestions

• There are eleven sections. By covering one section each week you will have enough material for a semester.
• The book lends itself very well to notebooking.
• Read one section and have your student narrate (orally or in written form).
• Name and map the five Great Lakes.
• Create a flip book listing them by size.
• Explore the Indians who lived in the region.
• Learn more about glacial drift. (You may also want to address the various opinions on the geological history of the area.)
• Learn more about Niagara Falls. In the 58 years since the book was written, how closer (if at all) is it to becoming a “mere geologic memory”?
• Make a list of the explorers of the area mentioned. Add a page in your notebook for each.
• What countries sent explorers to the area?
• Learn more about the War of 1812.
• Learn about Robert Fulton and his steamboat.
• How do locks and dams work?
• View the Soo locks in action.
• Read Newbery Honor book Swift Rivers by Cornelia Meigs.

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Additional Resources

The Great Lakes: A Unit Study
You will find many more resources that go with the book in our free unit.