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Dismissed in early years as a wasteland, the rolling open country that covers the interior parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho is today one of the richest farmlands in the nation. This work is the story of its transformation. Meinig traces all of the aspects of its development by combining geographic description with historical narrative.
This is a regional historical geography of exceptional quality. Regional studies, Carl Sauer once remarked in a seminar, involve judgement and perspective, insight and talent, and therefore should be attempted only by the mature practitioner. Donald Meinig qualifies on all counts. His excellent book makes us painfully aware of how little really good and readable work has been done in this genre.
* Geographical Review *A finely drawn and richly documented geography.
* Pacific Historical Review *This study proves that regional history can have significance as well as genuine vitality. . . . The work is imaginative in theme, well organized, and ambitious in scope.
* The Journal of American History *From the Indians who roamed the desert and grasslands, to the farmers who came to raise cattle and wheat, Meinig has mapped and written the changing attitudes towards the area and the changing economic patterns. . . . This is an outstanding contribution to our knowledge of history, geography, and economics.
* Pacific Historian *Meinig's approach emphasizes not dramatic personalities or events but the lay of the land, the sweep of seasons, and certain early perceptions of the area that influenced its development.
* Pacific Northwest Quarterly *Foreword: Ghost Region
A Retrospective Preface
Preface to the Original Edition
Acknowledgments
Setting: Landscapes, Seasons, and People, ca. 1800
Entry: By East and By North
Competition: By Land and by Sea
Monopoly: London Rules the Columbia
Matrix: American Visions and Ventures
Missions: Protestants and Priests
Preparation: Clearing, Organizing, and Evaluating the Land
Colonization: Gold, Grass, and Grain
Strategy: Settlers and Railroads, 1870-90
Conquest: Some Pattersn, Methods and Ideas, 1870-90
Empire: Town and Country, ca. 1890
Elaboration: Some Patterns and methods
Inquiry: The Farmer and the Scientist, ca. 1890-1910
Culmination: The Great Columbia Plain, ca. 1910
Appendix: Populations and Facilities of Tows, 1890 and 1910 (Table 2)
Bibliography
Index