The Country of the Neutrals

A sweeping portrait of the early Great Lakes frontier unfolds through the eyes of 17th‑century missionaries and explorers. Their handwritten notes, together with the first true map to show Lake Erie, guide the listener across the hunting grounds of the Huron, the roaring Niagara, and the quiet prairies of the Essex Peninsula. The narrative weaves geography and legend, letting you hear the rush of the Grand River and the whispered stories of the Neutral Nation that once held sway along its banks.

At the heart of the book lies the Southwold Earthwork, a surviving “old fort” that still bears the imprint of an almost forgotten people. Detailed observations of its earthen walls, tree‑ring chronologies, and the surrounding forest paint a vivid picture of a landscape reshaped by settlers yet stubbornly retaining its ancient scars. As the author walks the moss‑covered embankments, the listener is invited to imagine the lives that built and defended this mysterious enclosure, a tangible link to the region’s deep‑rooted past.