Human Geography: People, Places and Cultures

Politics & Social Sciences

Blouet, Brian W.

WISHART, David J.

Stoddard, Robert H.

Social Sciences

Pearson College Div

Looking over the vast open plains of eastern Colorado, western Kansas, and southwestern Nebraska, where one can travel miles without seeing a town or even a house, it is hard to imagine the crowded landscape of the last decades of the nineteenth century. In those days farmers, speculators, and town builders flooded the region, believing that rain would follow the plow and that the “Rainbelt” would become their agricultural Eden. It took a mere decade for drought and economic turmoil to drive these dreaming thousands from the land, turning farmland back to rangeland and reducing settlements to ghost towns. 
David J. Wishart’s The Last Days of the Rainbelt is the sobering tale of the rapid rise and decline of the settlement of the western Great Plains. History finds its voice in interviews with elderly residents of the region by Civil Works Administration employees in 1933 and 1934. Evidence similarly emerges from land records, climate reports, census records, and diaries, as Wishart deftly tracks the expansion of westward settlement across the central plains and into the Rainbelt. Through an examination of migration patterns, land laws, town-building, and agricultural practices, Wishart re-creates the often-difficult life of settlers in a semiarid region who undertook the daunting task of adapting to a new environment. His book brings this era of American settlement and failure on the western Great Plains fully into the scope of historical memory.

The Last Days of the Rainbelt

History

Americas

Bison Books

"In stressing the exploitation and destruction of the physical and human environment rather than the usual frontier romanticism, David Wishart has provided for students of the trans-Mississippi fur trade a valuable service."-Journal of the Early Republic. A standard reference work [that] should be required reading for all students of the American west."-Pacific Historical Review. "The whole [fur trade] system is traced out from the Green River rendezvous or the Fort Union post to the trading houses of St. Louis and the auctions in New York and Europe. Such factors as capital formation, shifting commercial institutions, the role of advanced market information, and the nature, kinds, costs, and speed of transportation are all worked into the story, as is the relationship of the whole fur trade to national and international business cycles. This is an impressive achievement for a book so brief. . . . [It] opens out onto new methodological vistas and paradigms in western history."-William H. Goetzmann, New Mexico Historical Review David J. Wishart is a professor of geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the winner of the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize for distinguished books in American geography, sponsored by the Association of American Geographers for An Unspeakable Sadness: The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians, also available in a Bison Books edition.

The Fur Trade of the American West: A Geographical Synthesis

University Of Nebraska Press

Of all the interactions between American Indians and Euro-Americans, none was as fundamental as the acquisition of the indigenous peoples’ lands. To Euro-Americans this takeover of lands was seen as a natural right, an evolution to a higher use; to American Indians the loss of homelands was a tragedy involving also a loss of subsistence, a loss of history, and a loss of identity. Historical geographer David J. Wishart tells the story of the dispossession process as it affected the Nebraska Indians—Otoe-Missouria, Ponca, Omaha, and Pawnee—over the course of the nineteenth century. Working from primary documents, and including American Indian voices, Wishart analyzes the spatial and ecological repercussions of dispossession. Maps give the spatial context of dispossession, showing how Indian societies were restricted to ever smaller territories where American policies of social control were applied with increasing intensity. Graphs of population loss serve as reference lines for the narrative, charting the declining standards of living over the century of dispossession. Care is taken to support conclusions with empirical evidence, including, for example, specific details of how much the Indians were paid for their lands. The story is told in a language that is free from jargon and is accessible to a general audience.

An Unspeakable Sadness: The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians

Atlas of Nebraska

2018 Nebraska Book Award The state of Nebraska has a rich and varied culture, from the eastern metropolitan cities of Omaha and Lincoln to the ranches of the western Sand Hills. The first atlas of Nebraska published in over thirty years, this collection chronicles the history of the state with more than three hundred original, full-color maps accompanied by extended explanatory text. Far more than simply the geography of Nebraska, this atlas explores a myriad of subjects from Native Americans to settlement patterns, agricultural ventures to employment, and voting records to crime rates. These detailed and beautifully designed maps convey the significance of the state, capturing the essence of its people and land. This volume promises to be an essential reference tool to enjoy for many years to come.

Edwards, Richard

Archer, J. Clark

Howard, Leslie M.

Shelley, Fred M.

Wilhite, Donald A.

David J. Wishart’s Great Plains Indians covers thirteen thousand years of fascinating, dynamic, and often tragic history. From a hunting and gathering lifestyle to first contact with Europeans to land dispossession to claims cases, and much more, Wishart takes a wide-angle look at one of the most significant groups of people in the country. Myriad internal and external forces have profoundly shaped Indian lives on the Great Plains. Those forces—the environment, religion, tradition, guns, disease, government policy—have written their way into this history. Wishart spans the vastness of Indian time on the Great Plains, bringing the reader up to date on reservation conditions and rebounding populations in a sea of rural population decline. Great Plains Indians is a compelling introduction to Indian life on the Great Plains from thirteen thousand years ago to the present.

Great Plains Indians (Discover the Great Plains)

Business & Money

Of all the interactions between American Indians and Euro-Americans, none was as fundamental as the acquisition of the indigenous peoples' lands. To Euro-Americans this takeover of lands was seen as a natural right, an evolution to a higher use; to American Indians the loss of homelands was a tragedy involving also a loss of subsistence, a loss of history, and a loss of identity. Historical geographer David J. Wishart tells the story of the dispossession process as it affected the Nebraska Indians-Otoe-Missouria, Ponca, Omaha, and Pawnee-over the course of the nineteenth century. Working from primary documents, and including American Indian voices, Wishart analyzes the spatial and ecological repercussions of dispossession. Maps give the spatial context of dispossession, showing how Indian societies were restricted to ever smaller territories where American policies of social control were applied with increasing intensity. Graphs of population loss serve as reference lines for the narrative, charting the declining standards of living over the century of dispossession. Care is taken to support conclusions with empirical evidence, including, for example, specific details of how much the Indians were paid for their lands. The story is told in a language that is free from jargon and is accessible to a general audience.

"In stressing the exploitation and destruction of the physical and human environment rather than the usual frontier romanticism, David Wishart has provided for students of the trans-Mississippi fur trade a valuable service."-Journal of the Early Republic. A standard reference work [that] should be required reading for all students of the American west."-Pacific Historical Review. "The whole [fur trade] system is traced out from the Green River rendezvous or the Fort Union post to the trading houses of St. Louis and the auctions in New York and Europe. Such factors as capital formation, shifting commercial institutions, the role of advanced market information, and the nature, kinds, costs, and speed of transportation are all worked into the story, as is the relationship of the whole fur trade to national and international business cycles. This is an impressive achievement for a book so brief. . . . [It] opens out onto new methodological vistas and paradigms in western history."-William H. Goetzmann, New Mexico Historical Review David J. Wishart is a professor of geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the winner of the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize for distinguished books in American geography, sponsored by the Association of American Geographers for An Unspeakable The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians, also available in a Bison Books edition.

The fur trade of the American West, 1807-1840: a geographical synthesis

Croom Helm

Review\n"For anyone researching Nebraska history, this book will prove to be an essential tool as it carefully analyzes the state's data from prehistory through statehood."—Erik J. Wright, True West\n"Want to know where earthquakes have rattled Nebraska since statehood? There’s a map for that. How about the paths of tornadoes across the state? The origins of foreign-born Nebraskans? Areas state-designated as short of physicians, dentists and pharmacists? Or how horses have migrated from rural to urban areas? There are maps for all that. In fact, the atlas—the first of Nebraska published in more than three decades—chronicles the history of the state with more than 300 original, detailed and full-color maps accompanied by explanatory text. The coffee-table volume pokes into myriad subjects, including the state's geologic and prehistoric roots, American Indians and the fitful transition from territory to state."—David Hendee, Omaha World-Herald Published On: 2017-12-31\n"It has been several decades since an effort has been made to produce an atlas of this kind. The updated data and techniques used in the production of this book are apparent when compared to the previous atlases. Overall, this book contains such a generous array of maps that it truly possesses something for everyone. Whether you're a cartophile or just someone living "The Good Life," the Atlas of Nebraska is a useful and enjoyable addition to any reference library."—Patrick Haynes, Nebraska History\n"Gorgeous. . . . Packed with scholarly resources, the book also offers an accessible resource for trivia buffs and those who eat, sleep and breathe Nebraska."—Nina Buck, Nebraska Life\n"Readers interested in the history of Nebraska will find the atlas a useful reference tool."—Russell S. Kirby, Historical Geography\n“The unassuming title of this atlas does not provide a hint of the diverse richness of its contents. Its abundant maps, its survey of our state’s geologic, prehistoric, Native American, and territorial and recent state history, as well as our climate and ecology, are just the beginning of a fact-filled treasure trove. What a wonderful gift to celebrate our state’s 150th birthday!”—Paul A. Johnsgard, winner of the National Conservation Achievement Award and author of Those of the Gray Wind: The Sandhill Cranes, New Edition Published On: 2017-02-24\n2018 Nebraska Book Award\nThe state of Nebraska has a rich and varied culture, from the eastern metropolitan cities of Omaha and Lincoln to the ranches of the western Sand Hills. The first atlas of Nebraska published in over thirty years, this collection chronicles the history of the state with more than three hundred original, full-color maps accompanied by extended explanatory text.\nFar more than simply the geography of Nebraska, this atlas explores a myriad of subjects from Native Americans to settlement patterns, agricultural ventures to employment, and voting records to crime rates. These detailed and beautifully designed maps convey the significance of the state, capturing the essence of its people and land. This volume promises to be an essential reference tool to enjoy for many years to come.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by WISHART, David J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by WISHART, David J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by WISHART, David J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Human Geography: People, Places and Cultures

The Last Days of the Rainbelt

The Fur Trade of the American West: A Geographical Synthesis

An Unspeakable Sadness: The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians

Atlas of Nebraska

Great Plains Indians (Discover the Great Plains)

The Fur Trade of the American West: A Geographical Synthesis

An Unspeakable Sadness: The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians

The fur trade of the American West, 1807-1840: a geographical synthesis

Atlas of Nebraska