Over the dam - Boring a hole in the flatboat

In April 1831, Abraham Lincoln came to the rescue when a flatboat full of goods got hung up on a dam on the Sangamon River near New Salem, Ill. Lincoln climbed in the water, bored a hole in the bow of the watercraft and unloaded some of the weight so the flatboat could be lifted over the dam.

Blogging hits a dam
The waters I navigated as a blogger seemed to be just as difficult this week, as I struggled to try to figure out to make my carefully crafted entries have the paragraph breaks I'd so strategically placed.

Finally tonight, in reviewing all the settings controlling the blog, I found one which seemed to be just the solution I needed to get over my dam. I checked "yes" instead of "no" or vice versa on one little checkbox and, voila, magically my earlier posts had the white space (actually more of a buff color - chosen intentionally) that I'd so lovingly put in place.

Over the dam - down the river
I've passed over the dam and am moving on down the river. Hopefully, my river is not so in need of internal improvements as the Sangamon was in Lincoln's day...

Learn about Lincoln's flatboat rescue
To learn more about the Lincoln's flatboat rescue, read Chapter Two, "A Piece of Floating Driftwood," in David Herbert Donald's "Lincoln."

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.

Navigating new waters

A little more than one hundred and four score years ago Abraham Lincoln set out on a flatboat journey from Rockport, Indiana to New Orleans, Louisiana. Today I set out on a maiden voyage, navigating new waters as a first-time blogger. I cannot say now where this journey will take me or how it will benefit any of us. I'm not yet sure how I'll use it or how often I'll post. Time will tell, I suppose.

A promise kept
One thing I do know is that I vowed several years ago I would not let the bicentennial of Lincoln's Feb. 12, 1809 birth pass without delving deeper into Lincoln myself. The day approaches, the celebrations have begun and I've kept that promise.


I'm taking a course, The Life and Times of Abraham Lincoln, at Heartland Community College. Central Illinois is rich in Lincoln tradition, so a number of organizations are also honoring Lincoln's legacy by bringing in speakers and hosting other Lincoln-related events. I've had the blessing of attending several of these. In future blogs, I hope to share a little about these happenings and the other Lincoln scholars and aficionados I've met.

A plethera of Lincoln books
My first effort as a blogger is to share titles of some of the Lincoln-related books with which I am most familiar. I'm still trying to determine the best way to share the plethera of books I'd like to tell you about, without having you have to scroll till the cows come home. So, for now, I'll show you ten at a time - my favorite books or favorite authors first, with others rotating into view over time. The list is in no way all-inclusive, as more books have been written about Lincoln than about anyone except Jesus Christ. It's just the books I know or have in mind as I compile my listing.


Some of the authors have served as mentors to me as I've delved into Illinois history and literature and into Lincoln studies. Some have been there to answer a question now and then, while others have nurtured me tirelessly or encouraged me to pursue my passion.

Thanks, Lincoln scholars
To all, I say thanks. Sharing the word about your books is one way I can reciprocate, but never enough to thank you for your labors of love and the examples you set.

© Copyright 2008 Ann Tracy Mueller. All rights reserved.