In this Book
- How to Read the American West: A Field Guide
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: University of Washington Press
From deserts to ghost towns, from national forests to California bungalows, many of the features of the western American landscape are well known to residents and travelers alike. But in How to Read the American West, William Wyckoff introduces readers anew to these familiar landscapes. A geographer and an accomplished photographer, Wyckoff offers a fresh perspective on the natural and human history of the American West and encourages readers to discover that history has shaped the places where people live, work, and visit.
This innovative field guide includes stories, photographs, maps, and diagrams on a hundred landscape features across the American West. Features are grouped according to type, such as natural landscapes, farms and ranches, places of special cultural identity, and cities and suburbs. Unlike the geographic organization of a traditional guidebook, Wyckoff's field guide draws attention to the connections and the differences between and among places. Emphasizing features that recur from one part of the region to another, the guide takes readers on an exploration of the eleven western states with trips into their natural and cultural character.
How to Read the American West is an ideal traveling companion on the main roads and byways in the West, providing unexpected insights into the landscapes you see out your car window. It is also a wonderful source for armchair travelers and people who live in the West who want to learn more about the modern West, how it came to be, and how it may change in the years to come.
Showcasing the everyday alongside the exceptional, Wyckoff demonstrates how asking new questions about the landscapes of the West can let us see our surroundings more clearly, helping us make informed and thoughtful decisions about their stewardship in the twenty-first century.
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYSmp5gZ4-I
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xv-1
- 1. Nature's Fundament
- pp. 28-35
- 1. Wide-Open Spaces
- pp. 36-37
- 2. Mountain and Valley Topography
- pp. 38-39
- 3. Fault Scarps and Quake Zones
- pp. 40-41
- 4. Layered Rocks
- pp. 42-43
- 5. Igneous Landscapes
- pp. 44-45
- 6. High Country
- pp. 46-49
- 7. Rivers and Riparian Corridors
- pp. 50-55
- 8. Dry Washes and Gullies
- pp. 56-57
- 9. Dry Lakes
- pp. 58-59
- 11. Cloudscapes
- pp. 62-65
- 12. Dust Storms and Dust Devils
- pp. 66-67
- 13. Cacti and Joshua Trees
- pp. 68-71
- 14. Sagebrush
- pp. 72-73
- 15. Conifers
- pp. 74-77
- 16. Wildfire
- pp. 78-79
- 17. Exotic and Invasive Plants
- pp. 80-83
- 18. Wild Animals
- pp. 84-87
- 2. Farms and Ranches
- pp. 88-95
- 19. Isolated Farmsteads
- pp. 96-97
- 20. Cattle Ranching
- pp. 98-103
- 21. Dry Farming
- pp. 104-105
- 22. Grain Elevators
- pp. 106-107
- 23. Field Irrigation Systems
- pp. 108-111
- 24. Orchards
- pp. 112-113
- 25. Vineyards and Wineries
- pp. 114-117
- 26. Farm Towns
- pp. 118-121
- 27. Farmworker Settlements
- pp. 122-123
- 3. Landscapes of Extraction
- pp. 124-131
- 28. Surface Mining: Gold and Copper
- pp. 132-135
- 31. Mining Towns
- pp. 140-145
- 32. Ghost Towns
- pp. 146-147
- 33. Logging
- pp. 148-149
- 34. Lumber Milling and Processing
- pp. 150-151
- 36. Oil and Natural Gas
- pp. 154-157
- 37. Wind and Solar
- pp. 158-159
- 4. Places Of Special Cultural Identity
- pp. 160-167
- 38. Indian Country
- pp. 168-173
- 39. Hispano Plaza Towns
- pp. 174-175
- 40. Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture
- pp. 176-177
- 41. Latino Communities
- pp. 178-183
- 42. Mormon Country
- pp. 184-187
- 43. Persisting European Communities
- pp. 188-189
- 44. African American Neighborhoods
- pp. 190-193
- 45. Japanese Internment Camps
- pp. 194-195
- 46. Emergent Asian Mosaic
- pp. 196-199
- 47. Gay and Lesbian Neighborhoods
- pp. 200-201
- 48. Countercultural Impulses
- pp. 202-203
- 5. Connections
- pp. 204-209
- 49. Historic Trails
- pp. 210-213
- 50. Trackside
- pp. 214-217
- 51. Narrow-Gauge Railroads
- pp. 218-219
- 52. The Open Road
- pp. 220-221
- 53. Mountain Roads
- pp. 222-225
- 54. Bypassed Highways
- pp. 226-229
- 55. Interstate Landscapes
- pp. 230-233
- 56. Electrical Grid
- pp. 234-235
- 57. Coastal Connections
- pp. 236-237
- 6. Landscapes of Federal Largesse
- pp. 238-245
- 58. Township-and-Range Survey System
- pp. 246-249
- 59. International Borders
- pp. 250-251
- 60. State Lines
- pp. 252-253
- 61. Historic Military Landscapes
- pp. 254-255
- 62. Modern Military Spaces
- pp. 256-259
- 63. New Deal
- pp. 260-263
- 64. Federal Dams and Water Projects
- pp. 264-267
- 65. The Atomic West
- pp. 268-271
- 66. National Parks
- pp. 272-275
- 67. National Forests
- pp. 276-279
- 68. BLM Lands
- pp. 280-281
- 69. Federal Wilderness
- pp. 282-283
- 7. Cities and Suburbs
- pp. 284-293
- 70. Urban Grid
- pp. 294-295
- 71. City Beautiful
- pp. 296-297
- 72. Mega Civic Landscapes
- pp. 298-301
- 73. Mega Consumer Landscapes
- pp. 302-305
- 74. City Invisible
- pp. 306-309
- 75. California Bungalows
- pp. 310-311
- 76. Ranch Houses
- pp. 312-313
- 77. Front Yards
- pp. 314-315
- 78. Modernist Apartment Boxes
- pp. 316-317
- 79. Suburban Master-Planned Communities
- pp. 318-321
- 80. Commercial Strips and Strip Malls
- pp. 322-325
- 81. Edge Cities
- pp. 326-327
- 82. Suburban Research Parks
- pp. 328-329
- 83. Urban-Wildland Ecotone
- pp. 330-333
- 84. Hillside Letters
- pp. 334-335
- 8. Playgrounds
- pp. 336-343
- 85. Dude Ranches
- pp. 344-345
- 86. Hot-Springs Resorts
- pp. 346-347
- 87. Coastal Playgrounds
- pp. 348-351
- 88. Lakeside Landscapes
- pp. 352-353
- 89. Adventure Play
- pp. 354-357
- 90. Hunting and Fishing
- pp. 358-361
- 91. Rodeos and Roundups
- pp. 362-363
- 92. Ski Towns
- pp. 364-367
- 93. Golf Courses
- pp. 368-369
- 94. Sexual Commerce
- pp. 370-371
- 95. Amenity Exurbs
- pp. 372-375
- 96. Gated Communities
- pp. 376-377
- 97. Regional Arts Communities
- pp. 378-381
- 98. Retirement Communities
- pp. 382-383
- 99. Snowbird Settlements
- pp. 384-385
- 100. Las Vegas
- pp. 386-390
- Chronology
- pp. 391-394
- Further Reading
- pp. 395-408