The Pulse has long been a fan of Audubon Acres, considering it one of the city’s hidden treasures. So we are also a big fan of the new book fron Natural History Press, Chattanooga’s Robert Sparks Walker: The Unconventional Life of an East Tennessee Naturalist. Written by Walker’s granddaughter, Alexandra Walker Clark, the biography explores the life of a man who was born in Spring Frog Cabin on the site that is now Audubon Acres.
Walker went on to write thousands of articles, poems and books celebrating nature. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and helped to found the Chattanooga Audubon Society, which now preserves his birthplace.
From the book’s preface: “’Listen!’ He paused, turned his good ear toward the melodic splashing. ‘It says its name: Chickamauga, Chickamauga’… “… ‘Keep this place in your heart and you will never grow old. This is who we are, you know.’”
If you enjoy Chattanooga history and you love the outdoors (or know someone who does), you’ll love this book.
Natural History Press, 2013, $19.99. historypress.net
—Staff