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The Great Plains
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Language
English
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Table of Contents
From the Book
Preface -- Introduction --
The physical basis of the Great Plains environment: How the Great Plains were built -- The climate of the Great Plains -- The plant life of the Great Plains -- Animal life on the Great Plains --
The Plains Indians: Characteristics of the Plains Indians -- The spread and use of the horse among the Plains Indians -- Horsemanship and weapons -- The sign language of the Plains Indians --
The Spanish approach to the Great Plains: The Spanish colonial system unsuited to the Great Plains -- The Spanish explorers on the Plains: a period of success -- The Spanish colonial period; the beginning of failure: The San Saba mission episode, 1757-1758; The Rubi report, 1766-1767; The Bucareli affair and the founding of Nacogdoches, 1773-1779; The proposed campaign against the Apaches, 1777-1778 --
The American approach to the Great Plains: Exploring the Great Plains; marking the trails -- Creating the tradition of the "Great American Desert" -- The Texas approach to the Great Plains: The Texans touch the Plains; The story of the six-shooter; The Franco-Texienne Company and frontier defense -- The Great Plains block the expansion of the South --
The cattle kingdom: The origin of the kingdom -- The spread of the kingdom -- The evolution of the range and ranch cattle industry, 1866-1928 -- The ways of life on the cattle range -- The twin spectacles of the range: the round-up and the drive --
Transportation and fencing: Railroads in the Great Plains -- The fence problem: Fence rails; The agitation for hedges; Rise and effect of barbed wire --
The search for water in the Great Plains: The available supply of moisture in the Great Plains -- Well-making and windmills -- Irrigation of the Great Plains -- Dry farming; conservation of soil moisture -- Some vagaries of the search for water --
New laws for land and water: Enlarging the land unit -- The development of the land law for the West -- Development of the western water laws: The English common law of waters; Modification of riparian rights; How the arid-region doctrine of prior appropriation arose --
The literature of the Great Plains and about the Great Plains: The literature of the frontier and the cattle kingdom -- The literature of the farm --
The mysteries of the Great Plains in American life: What immediate effects did the Great Plains have upon the Anglo-American?
Did man originate on the plains or in the forest?
Why is the West considered spectacular and romantic?
Why was the West considered lawless?; Was it really lawless or did it merely appear lawless?
Why is the West politically radical?
What has been the spiritual effect of the American adventure in the Great Plains on women?
In conclusion, let us inquire what has been and what is to be the meaning of the Great Plains in American life.
Maps: The Great Plains environment: timber country, treeless/arid region, treeless/level/semi-arid region, treeless/level region -- The High Plains / U.S. Geological Survey -- Approximate average annual precipitation -- Evaporation in inches during summer, April to September, inclusive -- Lines of equal and equivalent rainfall in the Great Plains region -- Average hourly wind velocity / USDA -- Average annual number of days with hail during the frostless season / USDA -- Native vegetation of the United States --
Maps: Land regions of the United States: Pacific; Western Plateaus and Rocky Mountains; Great Plains; Prairie Plains; Ozark Mountains and Plateaus; Gulf Plains; Atlantic Plains; Eastern Ancient Plateaus; Allegheny Plateaus and Appalachian Mountains; Lake Plains -- Distribution of jack rabbits in the United States -- Distribution of buffalo --
Maps: Culture areas of North America: Arctic, or Eskimo; Northwest, or northern Pacific coast; California; Great Basin; Plateau; Mackenzie-- Yukon; Plains; -- Northeast, or northern woodland; Southeast, or southern woodland; Southwest; Mexico; Columbia, or Chibcha / based on map in A.L. Kroeber's Anthropology --
Maps: Food areas of the American Indian / Clark Wissler -- The Plains Indian culture area / Clark Wissler -- Spread of the horse complex / Clark Wissler's Man and Culture -- The physical regions of Mexico / George M. McBride's The Land Systems of Mexico -- The annual average rainfall of Mexico / from George M. McBride's The Land Systems of Mexico -- The northern Spanish frontier -- The Texas frontier and proposals for its protection by forts and French colonists -- States won by slavery, and territory opened to slavery, 1791-1857 --
Maps: The cattle kingdom and cattle trails
Irrigation of the United States
Land settlement on the stream front in Wyoming / from E.S. Osgood's The Day of the Cattlemen
Status of women's suffrage at the time the amendment was passed.
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ISBN
9780803297029
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