Away down the river,
A hundred miles or more,
Other little children
Shall bring my boats ashore.

Robert Louis Stevenson's poem reflects our fascination with rivers...their jeweled surfaces and tree-lined shores, interesting meanderings, and links to other people and places.
My son, Glennon, has a wonderful house overlooking the Rock River in Janesville, WI where I am getting to know a lot about the River. Here are seven videos I made in 2009 about the Rock River (If video stops, pause, which allows download to continue. When red line shows completion, video will play and replay without interruption):

Lincoln and the Rock River


The Rock River still flickered in Reagan's memory

Rock River and the Blackhawk War

Indians on the Rock River


Rock River Thresheree


Madison area lakes, rivers and streams flow into the Rock River. In fact, when it rains and snows in southern Wisconsin much of the water ends up in the Rock, a Mississippi tributary. In this final video: A record setting 3.63 inches of rain falling in Madison on Sept 21,2009 which eventually became the Rock River.