Post 13 (5Dec Class)
Devil’s Bargains: Tourism in the Twentieth-Century American West
I am submitting this blog now since I will be out of town for the last class and will not have the time (or energy) to make any entries. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class, in large part due to the students and the instructor. Thanks for making this an enjoyable experience. I hope to see you all again. I know I will see Jim again, at our undisclosed location.
The theme in Rothman’s Devil’s Bargain is that the development of the tourist industry was (and still is), as the book’s title implies, fraught with trade-offs. While tourism may resuscitate the sagging economy of an area, Aspen being one example depicted in the book, there are often economic and social costs to the local inhabitants. The author explained the history of tourism in the U.S in general, showing how it was initially the pastime of the more affluent, and usually traveling in luxury on railcars. With the advent of the automobile, leisure travel for the less wealthy became more commonplace. The post -World War II era saw an increase in economic prosperity throughout the country. With that, an even greater increase in tourism by the upper and middle class.
Locals in and around ski resorts, Las Vegas, Santa Fe and national parks were relegated to low wage, service oriented jobs. The very success of these tourist spots brought in more money, not to the locals, but to the resort owners and the local businesses such as real estate, builders and bankers. The growth of second homes in these areas and of more tourist-focused businesses resulted in suburban sprawl. The price of real estate and the cost of living rose. Property taxes went up, forcing the low paid locals to leave. As tourism became more profitable, larger companies bought out the entrepreneurs who first established the businesses, further alienating the native and neonatives. Owners and corporations changed the face and feel of the resort towns, changes that reflected the tourists’ imaged reality of the area.
The author provided solid evidence to support his argument. Unlike Cadillac Desert, I did not get lost in details. His argument might have been helped, however, if he had showed some details on how the economies were affected. The average costs of housing before and after the arrival of an industry would have added some meat to his argument. Similarly, the average pay of the locals before and after would have helped to put their challenges into a more meaningful context.
I found this book to be particularly interesting, given my love of skiing and that I have traveled to and through some of the resorts in Colorado. It is apparent even today that those locals whose jobs are service-focused, populate most of the resort towns. As stated by the author, seasonal work is the norm. Neonatives continue to move into resort towns, drawn by the natural beauty of the areas and the skiing. In doing so, they further drive up real estate prices. The author did not mention a new twist in the employment of service people at ski resorts. This may be due to when it was published. Resorts are now hiring seasonal workers from foreign countries. These are generally college students recruited directly by the corporations themselves or through companies who specialize in linking foreign students up with companies in need of seasonal workers in a cultural exchange program.
Post 12 (28Nov Class)
Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water
Marc Reisner’s Cadillac Desert is a history of the many public works projects of the Bureau of Reclamation, and to a lesser extent, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Focusing on water projects—dams, aqueducts, and irrigation systems—the author detailed how the decisions to build were less driven by sound geologic and engineering studies, and more by politics and the influence of money interests.
The main theme is that the massive government-backed projects ultimately are detrimental to the environment and the economy. The result will be the destruction of the soil through higher salt concentrations, the build up of silt at dams and irrigation projects and the demise of the Ogallala aquifer.
Reisner paid particular attention to the career of Floyd Dominy, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. The author detailed the Dominy’s bully-like rise through the ranks, often at the expense of others. Reisner seemed to somewhat obsessive in his criticism of Dominy, seeming to psycho-analyze the man, with an interest in his sexual exploits. He reserved the bulk of his attacks to the Bureau itself, describing the poor decision-making and planning, political-economic influences, and the coercive tactics that they used to driven landowners away.
While this book was informative in its history of water projects and water politics in the West, it was clear that Reisner was not objective and had agenda. His chapter on Dominy seemed less of a history and more of a personal attack. Dominy’s womanizing ways is completely irrelevant to the main story. The intended audience appeared to be less of the public, and more likely other likeminded environmental activists. Reisner’s talk of conspiracies and secret correspondences, some of which he assumed not based on evidence, but simply suspicion, weakened his credibility. Lastly, the absence of endnotes or footnotes leaves me to wonder about some of his statements.
I agree with Jim . I also got lost in the details, trying to keep track on people, places, projects, conspiracies around every corner. More detailed maps would have definitely helped me put all of this into a spatial context. On balance, I learned quite a bit from the book, but did we really need to know all of the details?
Post 11 Roy Baker Paper Part II
The focus of my second look at the Baker story will be to first actually add a thesis statement. I hear that is important.
With all of the talk in the testimonies about desertion, I thought that I would take a stab at desertion in the Army during that time. Turns out, and not too surprisingly, it was a major problem in the Army. In addition to desertion, I will be looking at alochol as a problem in the Army.
As far as source are concerned, I have already emailed those that I have found to date. Depending one's focus, the Annual Report of the Secretary of War can be quite useful. There are reports filed for several years, located in the National Archives. Cabinet 8A, Drawer 2 is where they can be located. I would recommended spooling to the end and looking at the index--very helpful. I think someone may have already mentioned it, but the book
Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay is available as an electronic book at GMU's library site.
I have made a half-hearted effort so far of finding pictures relevant to the story. Since my focus is on desertion and alcohol, I am not sure that I could find an associated picture that would be value added. I picture of the base itself is available, but I am not sure if it would be more than just a picture to go along with the paper.
Like Audrey, I am feeling the hangman's noose of time tightening around my neck. It's a shame that the Archives is not open on Sundays.
Post 10 (14Nov Class)
Indians in Unexpected Places
Philip Deloria’s Indians in Unexpected Places attempts to recover what one could call the lost history of the Native Americans during the turn of the twentieth century. According to the author, most American historical narratives during this period essentially wrote the Indians out of history. Deloria argued that a significant number of Native Americans took part in modernity during this time and that they were not, as some would argue, simply anomalies. He suggested that they were representative of the larger Indian culture’s efforts to exist in the Anglo-dominated nation, some whose goal was assimilation. Indians were often defined by white expectations of Indians, whether it be their style of dress, their interaction with those elements that represent modernity (like the automobile), or careers. Those expectations also involved notions of Indian violence and passivity, with a shift from an ideology of violence to that of pacification.
A recurring term used in this course has been agency. Deloria’s book continues with this theme. His texts argued that Native Americans did possess a degree of autonomy in the world outside of the reservations. The author used Indian athletes, actors and musicians as the example of those who worked within the white world. Ultimately, they failed in their various endeavors, not so much because of their own actions, but due to the changing economic and social worlds around them. Both the movie and sports industry became more corporate. Indian actors were no longer desired as Hollywood became less interested in authenticity. Concurrently, the representation of Indians as violent savages in movies increased. Indian-based music, whether produced and performed by natives or whites, lost ground to jazz and blues.
Having not read all American histories of the turn of the century, I can not argue for or against Deloria’s argument that Native Americans (is that still the P.C. name?) were forgotten. I do believe, however, that he may have overstated his case in stating that a large number of Indians did participate in the modern world at that time. I am not suggesting that he is wrong, but simply that he did not present a strong enough case. Perhaps it is being a bit too critical, but if one wishes to show that the actions of a few are indicative of a whole, then it leaves the author open to the criticism that those are not truly representative.
His use of photography, particularly that of the woman in the hairdryer and Geronimo in the car, does serve as a good illustration of how many of us perceive or expect to see others. I have to admit that those pictures did catch my eye, though I did not chuckle. Of course, perceptions and expectations change over time, and those photographs probably had even more meaning during the time in which they were taken and published.
Like Deloria, David Lewis’ work, “Still Native: The Significance of Native Americans in the History of the 20th Century American West”, also argued that the Indians have not disappeared. He goes even further in stating they Indians learned how to exist in the White Mans world, using the U.S. legal system to retake that which has been lost. Moreover, Native Americans gained a degree of economic control over their lives. Lewis goes further than Deloria in claiming that they had even more agency. He focused on what he called six broad areas of significance for the Indians during the twentieth century: persistence, land and natural resources, economic development, politics, symbols (symbolic presence), and the American Indian field of study. Within each, Lewis showed varying degrees of autonomy and modern sophistication (meaning working within the white culture) that native groups exhibited.
“Yet for all of the changes in their relationships with American society and the federal government, the mirror the larger reality of the American West as a federal colony…in the end still dependent”. (p226) This statement seemed at odds with the general theme that he appeared to be trying to convey.
Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945 George J. Sanchez
Sanchez’s main argument is “that Mexican-American cultural adaptation occurred without substantial economic mobility”. ( p.13) He was able to show that their economic status largely remained unchanged during this period. It may have been more accurate, however, to state that second generation Mexican-Americans adapted culturally. It did not appear that first generation immigrants adapted so much as their offspring, which is not too surprising.
I was particularly impressed with the author’s use of statistical data to back up his arguments. I do not recall during this course—it’s all a blur—seeing the other authors making use of numbers. Of course, the author had a wealth of information from which to draw from, unlike subjects of earlier periods.
While the book was generally stylistically a good read, he did have a tendency to switch to a mode of writing that we have discussed intermittently in class. When I read this kind of history-speak, I am reminded of interviews with William F. Buckley, Jr. “I argue that the emphasis in Chicano history on bipolar models that have stressed either cultural continuity or gradual acculturation has short-circuited a full exploration of the complex process of cultural adaptation.” (p.13). This is mind-numbing. Both when I read this sentence and typed it, my mind drifted off into space. I realize that this is not a substantive critical analysis of the book, but I find this style of writing pretentious.
Taken side-by-side, both books show the degrees of success that minority groups (Native Americans and Mexican-Americans) had in assimilating or adapting to the dominate Anglo culture in the West. While it seems that the Mexicans were more successful than the Indians in adapting, they were still considered essentially second-class citizens, whose worth was measured in their ability to provide cheap labor to the Anglos. When the economy took a turn for the worse and their services no longer needed, they were pushed aside and often forcibly repatriated. It is strange to consider that these groups had to adapt to another culture, when they inhabited the West far longer than the Anglos who took over.
Blog Responses:
I am not entirely sure that I agree with Dave’s final analysis of both books. While the Native American and Mexican-Americans maintained their unique cultural identity at that time, I am not sure that they were very integrated into American society. At that time, I believe it was less of a “melting pot”, and more of a tossed salad—all in the same bowl but each distinctive. I am interpreting this in the context of the periods in question, not during our current period.
I am not sure if this is relevant, but Sanchez wrote the name as Mexican American, as opposed to Mexican-American. Is not having it hyphenated a stylistic choice, or does it have another meaning?
Post 9 (7Nov Class)
Title: Print the Legend: Photography and the American West
Martha Sandweiss’ book is a largely chronological study of photography in the American West from the first use of the early daguerreotype cameras in the 1840s to the Kodak roll films in the 1890s. The author detailed both the evolution of photographic technology and the uses of the medium by government and commercial photographers. She showed how the early camera designs limited the mass production of prints to the larger public. Equally, if not more important, photography could not compete with the dramatic landscapes and panoramas offered by artists—arts which, unlike photos, could tell a narrative of a mythic West that Americans wanted to see and the movement of civilization westward.
According to the author, the book detailed photography’s impact on perceptions of the West, and how those perceptions affected photography itself. (p.6) While I found numerous examples of the later, I did not see any obvious examples of how photography influenced or changes perceptions. I would suspect that photographers would respond to the demands of the market, giving the customer what they wanted. According to Sandweiss, the public was more desirous of the imagined West than reality. As a result, the seeming never ending competition between the literal, static photography medium and the more artistic paintings and sketches (panoramas, landscapes, paintings, etc.).
She also said that throughout the book there would be a focus on understanding photographs as a primary source. (p.7) Again, I did not see any obvious examples, either overtly stated or implied. In fact, she explained the limitations of photos—“photographs can describe, but they rarely explain.” (p.160) It was not until photography could make it to paper, with explanatory text, that photography’s popularity could challenge the traditional artistic depictions. After reading Steve's blog, I realized that actually did overlook her discussion of primary sources. However, one would think that she would examine in more detail, throughout the book.
Criticisms aside, I found the book enlightening. I never thought of photography as a source for historical study, at least not in an academic sense. Stylistically, it was easy to read.
Post 8 (31Oct Class)
Title: Women and Gender in the American West
This is my third attempt at getting this to post. Hopefully, it won't go into bit heaven.
Admittedly, I have not given much thought to the history of women in the American West, at least to the extent of a separate area of study.
I am of similar thinking as John’s blog in that I would prefer to see a more “holistic picture” instead of a “soda straw view”. This could also be due to my relatively limited experience in historiography. Or, it could be that I simply prefer to see topics put into a larger context.
The general theme in these essays is of the agency of women—various ethnic and racial groups—in different regions and times in the West (the U.S. and Canada). The essays discussed, in varying degrees, how women operated within the confines of the political, economic or social structures in which they existed. For example, Ledesma’s essay (Texas Newspapers and Chicana Worker’s Activism, 1919-1974)depicted the limited agency of Mexican-American women laborers (launderers, dressmakers, pecan shellers, cigarmakers) who pushed for labor reforms within the unions. She showed how the press—labor, local and Spanish-speaking—and labor union leaders (read men) selected gender-driven words and phrases to define female laborers’ roles in strikes. Conversely, Irwin’s Going About and Doing Good’: The Politics of Benevolence, Welfare, and Gender in San Francisco, 1850-1880 study of late nineteenth-century San Francisco women’s benevolent societies revealed the power and influence of “gentle tamers”.
As one would expect, the authors did not agree on each other’s works. According to Casteneda (Women of Color and the Rewriting of Western History), Jen and Miller (The Gentle Tamers Revisited: New Approaches to the History of Women in the American West) did not “analyze relations of power among women of different races, classes and cultures”, nor did they “examine…the conflicts and differences among cultures.” (p.70) However, in Jensen’s and Miller’s opening paragraph they state the purpose of this essay, one of which is “to explore new possibilities for analysis.” (p.9) The authors do, in fact, touch on relationships between women of different cultures and races (Anglos, Indians, Hispanic and blacks). My point is that it seems that quite often an historian will take exception to another’s work if the one does not mention in detail the interests of the other. Everyone seems to have their own ingredients of the historical fruit salad (political, social, military, economic, gender, environmental, etc) and some feel that others have missed a fruit or two.
Like Audrey, I noticed the multitude of what we could call historian-unique words: deconstruct, postmodernism, discursive, etc. Some of the terms, I vaguely recall from earlier classes. As such, it would seem that the intended audience of this book is not the general public, but fellow historians.
I would guess that this book selection, like the ones that we have already covered, is a continuation of the theme of the West of myth running against the West of reality. As it relates to women’s, I mean gender, history, the only myths come to mind that specifically relate to women in the West is that of the frontier wife, toiling away with her husband and baker’s dozen children in a sod house on the prairie. And there is the dance-hall girls in the rough and tumble cow-towns, the silent Indian women of the movies (unless she is a beautiful young woman in love with the Anglo) or the devout Mexican woman in the veil attending mass. Regardless, like many of the other subjects covered to date in this class, a study of the American West would be incomplete without this slice of the historical pie
Post 7 (25Oct Class)
Title: Colony and Empire: The Capitalist Transformation of the American West
I have to agree with Dan’s “DUH” comment. Was this supposed to be a ground-breaking piece of work?
Having said that, Robbins stayed true to his theme: “the association between capitalism (and the capitalist ethos and all that it entails) and its revolutionary consequences for a particular place.” (p.X) Unlike other books that we have read, this appears to be history from the top down, the top being those proprietary capitalists and later, the corporate capitalists.
A common theme throughout his book was that of change. That change was generally brought about by the influences of eastern capitalists and European investors in mining, railroads, agriculture, lumber, and water resource industries-ventures. Robbins also showed how the economies of the West were not only sensitive to local influences, like the weather, but also events and decisions in Europe. Boom-and-bust seemed to a common pattern, regardless of the industry.
Robbins appeared to return over and over to the region’s lack of agency, their dependence on eastern and/or foreign investors, and the federal government. He also returned to the importance of the railroads in facilitating the development of the mining infrastructure and transportation of agricultural products. The chapters also started off with intellectual jabs at the myth of the West.
After finishing the book, I returned to the preface and found a sentence that struck me as odd. He said that this book “is not a study in economic history”. (p.xii). Although I am relative newcomer to the study of history, I thought this book was all about economics.
So, how does this book fit into Western history? Despite what he says, I believe this is an economic history. Does it tell us something that we did not already know? Well, based on what we have read so far, at its most basic level, I would have to say no. Maybe there is a broader historiographic element that I have missed, and that is why we have class discussion.
Post 6 (17 Oct Class)
Title: The Way to the Wes: Essays on the Central Plains
Elliott West’s The Way to the West revealed the complex relationships between humans (white and Native Americans) to their environment (the land, wildlife, water, soil, vegetation and climate), the affect that each had upon one another. Although largely an environmental history, West dipped his feet into social and cultural history; for example, he discussed white and Native American family units and how they affected and were affected by various internal and external forces.
The setting, or place, for his study was confined to the Central Plains, the boundaries being the plains east of the Rockies; west of the 98th meridian; south of the Platt River and north of the Arkansas River. (p3). Drawing from both primary and secondary sources--historical as well as scientific and anthropological—the author successfully argued his theme of web-like relationships between human and their environment. Pushed westward by white encroachment, drawn by the bison, and by economic opportunities, tribes such as the Cheyenne adapted their culture to the new environment. (p20) Euro-Americans also made their presence felt on the environment, whether they were merely passing through or came to settle. As a result of both groups, the native habitat went through significant changes, changes which affected the bison and the Indians (the whites were later pay a price for their agricultural practices).
West also discussed how and why families adapted to their new environment. This was particularly so with the Native Americans, whose lives were more closely linked to the lands in which they lived. The climate and vegetation forced tribes such at the Cheyenne to break into smaller units. Increased dependence on trade and bison altered familial relationships, increasing the duties of women, but decreasing their power. Women, both white and native, endured more in the Central Plains. His concluding chapter discussed the myth of the West, stating that these myths’ origins came not from the West, but from the east. (p.131)
I found it somewhat ironic that one of the characteristics that new arrivals to the West love--the wildness, “its uplifting influence”, and its “simplicity--were conditions which they were attempting to change, to transform the unfamiliar to the familiar, to fit into their mental picture of what they concerned normal. (p135,136) This process is similar to the present. People from other parts of the country come to the West and its beauty. They decide to escape the rat race, but they want some of those very same elements of the rat race in their new land. In time, the reasons that they moved West disappear.
Unlike other western histories, West suggested that the Native Americans shared some responsibility for their problems. The “Great Peace of 1840” eliminated the neutral zones, relative safe havens for the bison, reducing their populations and driving them eastward. The trade network likewise had direct and indirect negative consequences on the tribe--increasing dependency on white goods, reduced bison populations, and exposing more Indians to white diseases.
Despite being the shortest book that we have read so far, the author packed it with information. His book was without a doubt, the easiest one to follow. He presented his arguments, reminding the reader from time to time of his overarching theme, and tied it all together in less than 200 pages.
