Canal Town: A novel
by Samuel Hopkins Adams
Category: American fiction

Canal Town tells the story of the early days of Palmyra, NY through the eyes of Dr. Horace Amlie. Dr. Amlie arrives in Palmyra looking for a prosperous trading town to hang his shingle, and settles to serve the local community. At the time the book starts, the canal is still being dug and the town is gearing up for the excitement and riches that they are sure will follow. The book is packed with the details of that early life-- fever and dysentry follow the progress of the canal, modern medicine is starting to emerge, temperence reformers fill the churches, and the taming process of what was then the western frontier begins in earnest. Eventually, the young Dr. Amlie becomes involved in a medical mystery that threatens his entire career. --frumiousb at Amazon.com.