Inspired by tales of a mythic Round River, a circular stream where "what goes around comes around," John Hildebrand sets off to rediscover his home state.
Wisconsin is in the midst of an identity crisis, torn by new political divisions and the old gulf between city and countryside. Cobbling rivers together, from the burly Mississippi to the slender wilds of Tyler Forks, Hildebrand navigates the beautiful but complicated territory of home. In once prosperous small towns, he discovers unsung heroes—lockmasters, river rats, hotelkeepers, mechanics, environmentalists, tribal leaders, and perennial mayors—struggling to keep their communities afloat.
While history doesn't flow in a circle, it doesn't always move in a straight line either. Hildebrand charts the improbable ox-bows along its course. Long Way Round shows us the open road as a river with possibility around the next bend.

John Hildebrand is the author of numerous books, including the award-winning Mapping the Farm: The Chronicle of a Family and, more recently, The Heart of Things: A Midwestern Almanac. His essays have appeared in Harper's, Audubon, and Sports Illustrated. He teaches at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.

Contents
Headwaters 3
Chippewa River 13
Mississippi River 37
Wisconsin River 101
Fox River 141
Bad River 175
Bois Brule River 205
St. Croix River 217
Lake Pepin 237
The Rivers of Eden 247
Acknowledgments 259
Selected Sources 261