Abstract

ARRUDA, Gilmar. Rivers and governments in the State of Paraná: bridges, ‘hydraulic force' and the era of the dams (1853-1940). Varia hist. [online]. 2008, vol.24, n.39, pp. 153-175. ISSN 0104-8775.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-87752008000100008.

By using mainly the Presidential Annual Reports of the Province and the State of Paraná as documental sources, this work aims at examining how the rivers in the Paraná area are mentioned in the State governors' actions between 1854 and the 1940's. In some actions the rivers had great visibility, seen as ways or ‘hydraulic force"; in others, they completely disappear behind transposition techniques, like ferry-boats and bridges. The bridges or dams are specific moments in the history of the relationship between man and nature, indicating the ways of appropriation of such a natural element by the society.

Keywords : Environmental History; History of rivers; territories; the era of the dams.