The Plague of Cyprian was a terrible event, no question. How terrible is uncertain. But it seems to me that one cannot understand the middle years of the Roman Empire without discussing the Plague of Cyprian and its consequences. It probably killed two Roman Emperors. Yet, chances are good you’ve never heard of it. Lucky […]
Category: Environmental History
Why are Passenger Pigeons a Perfect Key to U.S. History?
At first glance, the idea that the history of a bird can tell us much about American history seems a stretch, I suppose. The story of passenger pigeons, however, is an exception, and an enlightening exception at that. You might know one part of this story. Once abundant, humans caused the extinction of passenger pigeons. […]
“Rain Follows the Plow” – One of America’s Great Mistakes?
“Rain follows the Plow.” It’s a sentence that seems so ridiculous to modern people that we wonder how anyone ever believed it. But in America in the late 19th century, this was gospel truth to some people. Rain follows the plow. The idea behind rain follows the plow was simple and powerful. Proponents needed a […]
The John Wesley Powell Map – A Real West That Could’ve Been?
Take a look at the following map of the American West. It is known as the John Wesley Powell map. Study it for a moment. The title is “Arid Region of the United States, Showing Drainage Districts.” A bland name, perhaps, but straightforward. The map’s author is one of the more important scientists in American […]
Bison Skulls – A True Symbol of the Authentic Old West?
At first, this question about bison skulls perhaps seems axiomatic. Is there anything, besides a cowboy, a cactus, or a gunfight, perhaps, that seems obviously more Old West than a bison skull? Well, just because something has become a symbol doesn’t mean it should be. Read my previous post about cowboys and the cowboy way, […]
Why the Dust Bowl Happened in the 1930s
The question of why the Dust Bowl happened is not merely an academic one. Far from it. Personally, I regard the Dust Bowl of 1930s America as one of the six worst ecological disasters of all time. Even if one doesn’t go quite as far as I do, no one denies it was a human […]