Critique of John’s paper

Critique of John’s paper

I. Strengths.

The overall strength of the paper tended to be in its flow and abundance of sources. Paragraphs that were limited to 8-10 lines summed up the research into very concrete and direct thoughts. The inclusion of letters that dealt with Fort D.A. Russell and certain correspondence helped maintain the thesis in a very matter of fact way. The research paper goes through the history and significance of the Fort in a simplified and reasonable style.

II. Weaknesses.

The weakness of the research paper was its overall length. The length of barely nine pages allows the reader to believe that more research could have been accomplished. The assignment was to be of a paper equaling 10-12 pages. Also, another weakness that I found to be a little of a disruption was how simplistic the summarizing of the research was instead of making a clear argument of which to base the paper on.

Blog 9 and 10

I am writing and dedicating my blogs and combing them for this week and last week due to their compatablity.   My revisions came along ok, as I wrote my paper and revised it I realized that the topic was pretty obvious and broad.  But I did seem to try to focus it a little more.  I tried to elaborate more on how the New Deal and Great Depression influenced the Colorado River Development.  I also “processed” the paper as much more as I could, which means that I corrected my format a little better.  All in all I hope its better.  Good reads.  Had difficulty uploading the paper into the blog so here it is. haha

The Colorado River Development and Its Impact On The Southwestern United States In The Early To Mid 20^th Century

History 300-1^st Draft

03/27/2008

By: Jason Matthew Paparo

With the opening of one of the greatest New Deal projects in the entire country President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech in which he proclaimed,

“”This morning I came, I saw, and I was conquered, as everyone would be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind. . . .Ten years ago the place where we gathered was an unpeopled, forbidding desert. In the bottom of the gloomy canyon whose precipitous walls rose to height of more than a thousand feet, flowed a turbulent, dangerous river. . . . The site of Boulder City was a cactus-covered waste. And the transformation wrought here in these years is a twentieth century marvel…. We are here to celebrate the completion of the greatest dam in the world, rising 726 feet above the bedrock of the river and altering the geography of a whole region: we are here to see the creation of the largest artificial lake in the world-115 miles long, holding enough water, for example, to cover the whole State of Connecticut to a depth of ten feet; and we are here to see nearing completion a power house which will contain the largest generators and turbines yet installed in this country, machinery that can continuously supply nearly two million horsepower of electric energy.”

The American West has seen a major transformation in its identity in the last 150 years. From the Industrial Revolution till the 1950s the American West grew by leaps and bounds. With the onset of the mass waves of people leaving the east to join the development of the west came many government projects to help the rapid development and to insure the west had a place in the “American Dream.” In the late 1920s and early 1930s the idea of a massive development project in the Southwest United States was put forth. Known as the New Deal the country went through major changes to try to save the economy and give its citizens a right to work. The Colorado River is a large river that drains almost all of the arid areas of the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Running 1,450 miles from Colorado to the Gulf of California the colossal river drains 242,900 square miles of the Southwest United States. Noticing the power and size of the Colorado River, the federal government decided to make the river one its most important projects. Flooding, irrigation shortages, and water loss were early problems the people faced who were living in the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. The one major focus of the New Deal was the Colorado River and the Boulder Canyon Project. The states along with the federal government knew that the development of dams, canals, and reservoirs were a major necessity to the survival and development of this western region. This project provided more jobs to the western people than any other previous projects combined. Colorado River projects greatly affected the successful development of the Southwestern United States and saved the region from the collapse and fallout of the Great Depression.

Godfrey Sykes wrote one of the greatest examples of how many people viewed the new projects on the Colorado River.  Sykes stated that, “The River is undoubtedly the greatest underdeveloped asset of the Southwest, one of the most valuable of the entire west, and ranks very high amongst the potential natural resources of the nation.”1  Robert Brown in 1927 wrote the Utilization of the Colorado River in the Geography Review.  Brown went on further giving his reaction to the start of the essential development of the Colorado River. Robert Brown explained the geography of the regions around the Colorado River in which he saw the need for certain development.  He wrote that the upper basin near the Rockies experienced heavy precipitation and created the large amount of drainage and did not have a need for further development.  Brown states, “The lower basin in the states of Arizona, California, and in Nevada and in Mexico, for the most part only a few feet above sea level, is arid with an annual precipitation ranging from an inch and a half to eight inches a year.”2 The need for drastic help in the area from governmental engineering was a must.  He further writes that, “The potentiality of the lower basin rests entirely for crops from irrigation.”2  Robert Brown continued and mentioned that the entire area was under risk if something was not done in development. “The prosperity of the area is constantly threatened by the danger of inundation during floods. There is also some concern over water shortage during dry seasons.”2 The need for development was obvious and dam and irrigation canals were the most consistent of technology that needed to be introduced to the Colorado River.  The states bordering the Colorado River began to go to the federal government for help.  In 1922 the western states signed the Colorado River Compact.  This compact was the first of its kind in that the river water of the Colorado River was another focus.  The allocation of water and how it was to be distributed was brought to an agreement.  Overall, “The Compact names as major purposes ‘to provide for the equitable division and apportionment of the use of the waters of the Colorado River System; to establish the relative importance of different beneficial uses of water; to promote interstate comity; to remove causes of present and future controversies; and to secure the expeditious agricultural and industrial development of the Colorado River Basin, the storage of its waters, and the protection of life and property from floods.’”2  This was the official beginning of major movements and development in the Southwestern United States for the use of its water supply.

1.Sykes, Godfrey.  The Delta and Estuary of the Colorado River Geographical Review > Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr., 1926), pp. 232-255 2.Brown, Robert M.  The Utilization of the Colorado River Geographical Review > Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul., 1927), pp. 453-466

The proposed allocations of water became the source of disagreement.  Arizona did not ratify the Colorado Compact because of the disagreement over where and how the water was to be divided and Los Angeles wanted a direct canal built to the area for a larger and better water supply.  Ralph Griswell, a prominent critic of the time, commented on Arizona’s reluctance to agree with any of the terms the others states put forth.  Griswell wrote,

“The threat of Arizona to go into court and hold up the development unless her terms are acceded to is hardly to be given serious consideration. The United States government has the right to build the dam without any states consent….While not absolutely necessary, it would clear the air if Arizona would come into accord with the other states. The construction of this great project would then go forward with hearty approval of all the communities to be benefited thereby.”3

Arizona’s disagreement in the end worked out in benefit to the state.  Arizona ended up receiving one-third of the total power that Hoover Dam (Boulder Canyon Dam) produced along with the Colorado River’s major half of the unapportioned water from the main stream.  The road blocks that Arizona set up were never of real threat but increased the pressure of expediting the process of the development of the Colorado River. 3. Griswell, Ralph L.  Colorado River Conferences and Their Implications
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 148, Part 2: Supplement: Colorado River Development and Related Problems (Mar., 1930), pp. 12-19
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28193003%29148%3C12%3ACRCATI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F

The first dam to be built on the Colorado River was the Hoover Dam.  This New Deal construction of the massive dam began in 1931. The dam was named after one of its favorite fans of the project, Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover. At the time of completion in 1935 Hoover Dam was the largest concrete structure in the entire world. Hoover Dam was also the largest dam in the world upon completion.  Located in the Black Canyon between Arizona and Nevada, the Hoover Dam was the largest projects the United States has ever been involved with.  The massive size of the structure is due to the amount of water that circulates through the dam.  At one point Hoover Dam was the largest producer of hydro-electric power in the entire world. Roosevelt and Hoover agreed upon terms during the Great Depression that through one of the most magnificent works of the New Deal that the Colorado River will be developed through the construction of the Hoover Dam. This move and decision would grant over ten thousand jobs alone for the Hoover Dam.  Before the massive project became a reality there were certain aspects that remained evident about the future of the Colorado River without a large barrier dam.  Hiram W. Johnson a state senator and fellow designer of legislation for the Boulder Canyon Projects writes that, “levees must be raised higher and higher and greater costs and with increasing danger of failure. A break will mean the loss of all that has been built up in the thirty years by the men and women who have reclaimed this region from the arid desert. Experts are agreed that, unless the floods are controlled and the silt eliminated, it is only a matter of years until the levees will no longer hold the Colorado in its present channel; when the inevitable break will come and the waters turned into the Imperial Valley.”4 Described by California State Senator Hiram W. Johnson in 1928 as without a doubt the greatest construction project pending before Congress at this time, and indeed, the greatest construction project of our generation.4  Hoover Dam serves the entire Southwestern United States with very useful power.  Along with the huge amounts of energy the dam provides, the water stopped by the damn also created Lake Mead one of the largest reservoirs in the area that provides clean fresh water. Hoover Dam also stopped most of the infamous flooding that would plague the surrounding states. Senator Johnson continued that the Boulder Canyon Project, “in order to store there by virtue of that dam 26,000,000 acre feet of water, creating a lake that will extend back almost one hundred miles from the dam, thus regulating the flow of the river, thus controlling its floods.”4 The major cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix can thank the majority of their energy from the Hoover Dam and the Colorado River.

The next of these goliath projects that took place in the 1930s was the Imperial Dam that was built in Yuma, Arizona.  Along with the Hoover Dam the Imperial Dam is one of the most important structures to the American West.  Imperial Dam which was finished in 1940 diverted the Colorado River into three canals and held by the dam until it can distilled.  After the water is distilled it is released into the Gila River, the Yuma aqueduct, and the All-American canal.  The importance of the Imperial Dam cannot be under estimated as nearly ninety one percent of the entire volume of water in the Colorado River is diverted into many different canals at this very point.   4. Johnson, Hiram W. The Boulder Canyon Project
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 150-156
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C150%3ATBCP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J

Having water that was on the precious grounds of the United States which was under foreign control was by far another substantial reason for federal government development of the Colorado River. Mexico controlled and acted as the overseer of many of the water ways that were in the United States and many were part of the Colorado River drainage system.  Also, the Imperial Valley was an important economic and fertile region of the Southwestern United States with one major problem.  Hiram Johnson emphasizes the “intolerable situation which now exists with the Imperial Valley water supply under Mexican control.”5 A few days with disruption of the main water supply from the Colorado River to the Imperial Valley could nearly put the entire area in ruins.  The people of the valley would have to leave their homes and all crops would be decimated.  Counteracting this problem the government and their development plans decided to put their ambitions into the All-American Canal.

This canal is the largest irrigation canal in the world and irrigates water from over 500,000 acres of land.  The All-American Canal also has hydro-electric power plants running the entire distance of this massive development. Construction of the All-American Canal began in 1932 and finished nearly a decade later and brought an end to the Mexican control of the water of the Colorado River and served as a more than abundant water supply and will increase the population. The United States federal government however made amends and C.E. Grunsky in 1922 wrote, “it is now considered that the control of the floods of the Lower Colorado will benefit about 800,000 acres of delta land in Mexico.”6 Furthermore, the All-American Canal not only served all of the Imperial Valley but also fed the wide extent of the Coachella Valley and many other important areas. 5. Johnson, Hiram W. The Boulder Canyon Project
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 150-156
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C150%3ATBCP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J

6.Grunsky C.E. International and Interstate Aspects of the Colorado River Problem
Science > New Series, Vol. 56, No. 1454 (Nov., 1922), pp. 521-527
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0036-8075%2819221110%293%3A56%3A1454%3C521%3AIAIAOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M

The point of view that the companies had of the massive developments on the Colorado River in the early to mid 20^th century was the next topic. The federal government mostly contracted the projects through the New Deal but there were also many private companies involved with the building.  The workers were paid little and of many cultural backgrounds.  As many of the railroads of the time who employed Asian workers, so did the majority of private companies who were building the dams, canals, and levees.  Mr. John B. Miller, President of the Southern California Edison Company wrote about his companies overall view of the Boulder Canyon Project.  Miller stated, “Whether the government proceeds under Boulder plan, or under a better plan, I have always advocated the power be made available, by a general cooperative plan, to all distributing agencies in the southwest both corporate or municipal, in proportion to their present and prospective power demands.”7  This statement was directed to the company’s stock holders assuring that the company will not lose anything in this move but will gain the most valuable project to ever be developed in the west.  7.  Koiner, C. Wellington.  The Company Point of View regarding Boulder Dam
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 141-142
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C141%3ATCPOVR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7

With all the contracts that were being passed and vetoed the Colorado River development vision became a wildly awesome legislation exchanging enterprise.  Paul E. Schwab in his book entitled The Hoover Dam Power and Water Contracts and Related Data states that “The Boulder Canyon Project Act contemplates a maximum of appropriations for the dam, electrical generating machinery, and the All American Canal to be constructed through the Imperial and Coachella valleys, of $165.ooo,ooo.”8  Schwab continues in his work recalling more money issues in that,

“Of this sum the All American Canal contract entered into by the Secretary with the Imperial Irrigation District in December, 1932, specifies a maximum cost of $38,5oo,ooo for the canal. Expenditures for this purpose will be repayable without interest from resources of the Imperial Irrigation District only during a period of forty years following completion of the canal, provided that if the Coachella Valley County Water District elects to avail itself of the benefits of this project it may do so and become responsible for repayment of a portion of the cost.”8

The large amount of sums surely made this project one of the most risky for any company owner or investor. The Boulder Canyon Project, the All American Canal and other dams surely affected the Southwestern United States but also made an impact on the rest of the federal government with its intense cost. 8. Review: [untitled]
Author(s) of Review: Paul E. Schwab
Reviewed Work(s): The Hoover Dam Power and Water Contracts and Related Data by Ray Lyman Wilbur; Northcutt Ely
Harvard Law Review > Vol. 47, No. 4 (Feb., 1934), pp. 730-732
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0017-811X%28193402%2947%3A4%3C730%3ATHDPAW%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

The developments’ greatest achievement besides bringing water, power and work  to the people of the Southwest was that of keeping the entire Southwest region out of danger.  Clyde L. Seavey in his work entitled What the Boulder Dam Project Means to California and to the Nation explains the benefits of the Boulder Canyon Project.  California and specifically the Imperial Valley benefited most from the early 20^th century river development.  Seavey in his writings proclaimed, “It means that the Imperial Valley, in southern California, a valley made up of sturdy pioneer stock of Americans, will be freed from the ever present menace of destruction by flood.”9 The Colorado River prior to the completion of the many dams and canals was a raging river that typically would never stay in its own banks. The land was so arid in the summer due to the silt that the river carried in during the winter that this silt became loose and turned into dust. Clyde L. Seavey continues his point further in that, “It means, too, that this valley will no longer be faced with the danger of a water shortage-a danger hardly less serious than that of destruction by flood, since in that desert country nothing can live without water.”9 9. Seavey, Clyde L. What the Boulder Dam Project Means to California and to the Nation
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 127-132
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C127%3AWTBDPM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L

The Colorado River projects and developments that the United States federal government undertook in the early and mid 20^th century will forever impact the Southwestern United States. During such economic crisis’ the New Deal projects of the west gave birth to many new jobs and hope to a region that during the Great Depression was looking for a new start.  The Hoover Dam and the All American Canal were not only iconic of the region and engineering marvels but are also the reason the region is one of the fastest growing areas in the country.  These developments helped allow such a mass population of people to prosper without even thinking of where and who helped them get their water. The Colorado River development saved the western United States from the Great Depression and allowed the kick start of its economy.

1.Sykes, Godfrey.  The Delta and Estuary of the Colorado River Geographical Review > Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr., 1926), pp. 232-255 2.Brown, Robert M.  The Utilization of the Colorado River Geographical Review > Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul., 1927), pp. 453- 466 3. Griswell, Ralph L.  Colorado River Conferences and Their Implications Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 148, Part 2: Supplement: Colorado River Development and Related Problems (Mar., 1930), pp. 12-19 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28193003%29148%3C12%3ACRCATI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F 4. Johnson, Hiram W. The Boulder Canyon Project Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 150-156 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C150%3ATBCP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J

5. Johnson, Hiram W. The Boulder Canyon Project
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 150-156
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C150%3ATBCP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J

6.Grunsky C.E. International and Interstate Aspects of the Colorado River Problem
Science > New Series, Vol. 56, No. 1454 (Nov., 1922), pp. 521-527
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0036-8075%2819221110%293%3A56%3A1454%3C521%3AIAIAOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M

7.Koiner, C. Wellington.  The Company Point of View regarding Boulder Dam

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 141-142
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C141%3ATCPOVR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7

8.Review: [untitled]

Author(s) of Review: Paul E. Schwab
Reviewed Work(s): The Hoover Dam Power and Water Contracts and Related Data by Ray Lyman Wilbur; Northcutt Ely
Harvard Law Review > Vol. 47, No. 4 (Feb., 1934), pp. 730-732
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0017-811X%28193402%2947%3A4%3C730%3ATHDPAW%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S

9. Seavey, Clyde L. What the Boulder Dam Project Means to California and to the Nation
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science > Vol. 135, Great Inland Water-Way Projects in the United States (Jan., 1928), pp. 127-132
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7162%28192801%29135%3C127%3AWTBDPM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L

Critique of Thomas’ Paper

First let me start off by noting that Thomas’ first draft was a pleasure to read.  He really had a grasp of his themed paper about Standard Oil.  Thomas did substantial research into political cartoons of the time to further display the publics reaction at the time to one of the countries largest company.  Thomas had as I recall over 10 primary sources and the strength of the paper tended to be in the clarity of his writing skills.  Little to no confusion or overlapping.  I feel Thomas actually could have written more on the subject as I feel his reasearch was more than complete.  The first draft kept my attention to the subject and I someone who has never been exposed to the subject matter could comprehend the main theme.  Good job Thomas!

Finito

I am posting my first draft of my research paper. I am not going to lie I feel I did a lot of unuseful research. I am happy with my paper though and hope you all will enjoy it or at least learn something from the topic. I still do not know how to do the PDF thing so I will post a link from MS word.

Jason

HERE IT IS

My outline is not one I am proud of just yet as I change my sturcture and placement of info daily but here is my (non-PDF) outline for the wondering observers, I did not do a paragraph by paragraph analysis because that is not needed since my first draft will obviously experiment with my thesis better. Enjoy.

outline

Bibliography

    I have changed a bit the focus of my topic from late 1800s to early 1900s to just early 1900s.  There was a significant amount of information on the early 1900s Colorado River development.  I had exactly 16 primary sources.  I actually have more sources but I am still sifting through their lengthiness.  The sources I do have are mainly from the 1920s and range from all types of articles.  I tried the PDF thing and seemed to have trouble.  So I had to do my best to post the sources by just copy and pasting them =(   The spacing was also off for my sources, but that is just a minor problem.  I have a few news articles and many online articles that were scanned on to online databases.  My Biblio is in a word file below.

BIBLIO

For my research topic I have chosen to concentrate on the development of massive river projects during the late 1800s and early 1900s  along the Colorado River and it’s influence on the Southwestern United States.  I will go along by doing this by first asking what projects and legislation in the west helped facilitate the buliding of large daming projects and how the local areas reacted to such changes.  Also, I will probe into why the southwest area felt the need for such large expensive projects.  “The American West” by Hine & Faragher referred to the massive river projects specifically around the Colorado River, which I will mainly be focusing on.  The Hoover Dam and other main water and energy projects helped the west boom and rival the east coast.  The workers and the lobbyists for these projects influenced how the west was viewed at this time of an industrial boom. 

I have found numerous sources for my reasearch topic.  Of the many primary sources most have come from GMU online databases and the National Archives site.  Many come from the early 1900s and are newspaper articles from the area (i.e. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego etc.).    I found also many first hand accounts of these building projects in online databases, some describing what was going on in construction or even the plans that outlined the uses of these projects for large masses of areas in the southwest.  I am still in the process of finding more sources and will travel beyond my previous spectrum of research capabilitities to clarify the scale of such projects on the Colorado River.  But the overall point and topic to be “clarified” will be the how the projects along the Colorado River in their grand scale influenced and changed the southwest U.S. 

Comments are welcomed.

Research Topic: Water development on the Colorado River

The top photo is of a worker in 1900 who is starting to divert water in the Hoover Dam area.  The bottom photo is of Colorado river development during the 1900s.  These two primary sources provided by UNLV can be useful sources of info in giving a visual of what people were wearing and doing and tools they were working with.

Two online primary sources:

http://mutex.gmu.edu:2068/pqdweb?index=2&did=328684372&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1202859222&clientId=31810

This first link is titled “Colorado River Plan Up Again.”  It is from a 1922 edition of the LA Times and it discusses how Secretary of Commerce Hoover is finalizing the go-ahead plans of the the Colorado River development in Boulder Canyon.

http://mutex.gmu.edu:2068/pqdweb?index=7&did=465115822&SrchMode=1&sid=2&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1202859222&clientId=31810

This is another article from the LA Times  documenting Hoover’s struggle to get everyone on board the project to bring the largest amount of energy the west has ever seen to the area.

Blog#2

In week two in chapters 8-16 in which we read the first subject of interest for me was explored in chapter 10. “Open Range” documents how early settlers from the Spanish to the English dealt with the push west. The term wild west was very true in its description in chapter 10. The introduction of cattle and the horse turned the western landscape into a never before seen free for all. Staple American icons were developed in this period. The “cow boy,” American beef, rodeo, and the ranch will forever be in our terminology. In chapter 10 it was also mentioned how difficult the life of such a person(cow hand) could be. The strenuous work could put a most people into a depression. A second subject I found of interest was in chapter 12. This chapter deals with the search for community. A more focused subject is in the 1860s and the journeys of the Mormons. Comprised of mostly people from England who wanted the most serene and private land to establish their strict beliefs the Mormons made it all the way to Utah(can be disputed on how they picked their spot to settle since in Mormon faith it was picked by a supreme being). But needless to say thr Mormon faith is one of the most famous example of the type of refuge that could be gained in such an area like the west. With the lack of people and resources the faith followed the lay of the land and become very simple and to this day is very prominent in the west.

Sample research questions:

1. How significant was the introduction of the horse to the western United States?

2. What was the progression in herding technology from the Spanish west to the English west?

3. How significant were the actual cowboys to the safety and success of the old west ranches?

4. Was the Mormon excursion more part of a religious journey or a move of isolation?

5. What was the Mormons daily life based on in the 1860 west?

Blog #1

In our first week readings from American West I found many subjects very relevant and important to my understanding of the broad and loose theme of the American west. In chapter three the subject of the relations between the first colonists and the Natives was of interest to me as I knew little of how each other interacted. The Eastern Indians were very loosely connected to the new European settlers due to the independence of both cultures. The cultural interaction stemmed from the relation of how both groups of people were in the same situation and were farmers and planters. The early habitations of these Indian people was said to resemble an early frontier cabin. Even further explained in chapter three is that such a fusion of culture can be worded as a lingua franca in the the early European settlers from Scandinavia and the Algonquian created a pigeon language to serve for better understanding. A second subject I found of interest in my readings was in chapter five which was focused on the fur trade in the Louisiana Purchase. From the reading in chapter five I understood that the Natives heavily relied on this trade with the European settlers and that the two groups signed many treaties France who set up the best and plentiful trading outposts soon lost out to the English and Natives. This documentation and treaties that were set up also many times faulted the Natives in that they were not familiar with that sort of business transaction. So in many ways if writing a research paper these two subjects are in relation. Five questions in which could get a research paper started are:

1. Did the early interactions between the Natives and the European settlers help create a more diverse community or did it set up many loosely organized independent groups?

2. Did farming for the Natives contribute to greater economic interactions among the early European settlers?

3. How did the language barrier among these two diverse cultures lead to developing more complex languages both cultures would understand?

4. Was the interaction among the settlers and the Natives during fur trades more beneficial to either side or neither side?

5. How did the treaties for both fur and land effect the rapid growth of the new “American Empire?”