In his book River of Iron David Lee shares first-hand look on what poverty does to hopes, dreams of ordinary hardworking families it also provides a stark look at what the troughs of the mining industry can do to people. Mining companies had to retrench and consolidate business operations during the Great Depression,. It is reported that on the Marquette Range, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co’s payroll fell from $6.6 million in 1930 to $1.9 million in 1932.” Author David Lee was there, he was born into this period of adversity, lived it and worked his way through it. His book, River of Iron (published by Xlibris) shares his family’s experiences in those times.

The discovery of iron in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula drew immigrants from all over Europe during the 1880s. In a land of difficult terrain and fierce winters, the immigrants blasted out iron mines and created a river of iron on the Marquette Iron Range. Then the depression hit in 1929, shuttered the mines and propelled the immigrants and their families into poverty. Lee’s parents were forced to build a log farmhouse on ten acres of wilderness which is where they raised Lee and his seven siblings.

River of Iron tells of simple things like collecting water, chopping firewood, and slaughtering hogs, but it is also a template for raising and educating a family on challenging terrain in the midst of poverty. It explores a family’s capacity to survive economic disaster in spite of fierce winters and tough terrain, revealing how poverty affects the hopes and dreams of ordinary, hardworking family people.

Overall, River of Iron delivers the message that hard work, discipline, love and hope can overcome economic disaster.

River of Iron by David Lee (338 pages) is available in hardcover ISBN 9781499042757, softcover ISBN 9781499042764 and E-Book ISBN 9781499042740. Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

David Lee was born on the Marquette Iron Range in the depths of the depression. He attended school at National Mine and worked underground in an iron mine. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Northern Michigan College in 1954 and a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Michigan Law School in 1957. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1957 and practiced law for over fifty years in the Detroit area. He is now of counsel to Sommers Schwartz P.C. in Southfield, Michigan.