Worster writes in a clear style that is very readable yet direct and often profound, and he makes liberal use of statistics to buttress his arguments. Rivers of empire download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Books by donald worster author of a passion for nature. He shows how, beginning in the midnineteenth century, mormons were the first attempting to make that dream a reality, damming and diverting rivers to irrigate their land. Buy donald worster ebooks to read online or download in pdf or epub on your pc, tablet or mobile device. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west by donald worster. Hennessey, historian and former administrator, research archives, san diego history center. Donald worsters rivers of empire the bicycle research. Rivers of empire by worster, donald and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Comparing water control in china and the united states. Such a turning, to reiterate, would not be easy to effect, but, conceivably it could happen.
Click download or read online button to get rivers of empire book now. The wealth of nature donald worster oxford university press. Donald worster has 33 books on goodreads with 8940 ratings. In rivers of empire worster argues that the core reality of the american west is its aridity. Donald worster s most popular book is ecological imperialism. Donald worster s classic chronicle of the devastating years between 1929 and 1939 tells the story of the dust bowl in ecological as well as human terms.
Next time you pass through the city of oroville in northern california on state h ighway 70, take a detour through town and go up to the oroville dam. The flow of empire 5 i came by this slow and by no means elegant mode of travel to see the fabled three gorges before the massive three gorges dam, which was being completed near yichang, inundated them figure 3. This is a major study, one that should be read and considered by every student of western life and letters. Donald worster rachel carson center for environment and. In two remarkably comprehensive and wellwritten books, donald worster and marc reisner consider the role that waterespecially artificially. He is one of the founders of, and leading figures in, the field of environmental history. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west is a history of the development of the american west through the lens of water management technology.
In rivers of empire, awardwinning historian donald worster tells the story of this dream and its outcome. Building on substantial archival research, worster argues that. Donald worster has been active in environmental history since the early 1970s, both in the united states and other parts of the world. A river, to be sure, is a means to economic production, but before that it is an entity unto itself, with its own processes, dynamics, and values. Rivers of empire water, aridity, and the growth of the american west. Worster chronicles the epic efforts by the federal government to supply the southwest with water. Abstract in much of the american west water shortages are becoming an important concern. Donald worster is considered one of the founders of, and leading figures in, the. Worster traces three stages of the water west, each lasting roughly fifty years.
Pdf water markets as a tragedy of the anticommons jim. Russell building faculty of architecture university of manitoba. Water, aridity and the growth of the american west find, read and cite all the. To replace the myths, worster demonstrates that much of the history of the american west consists of the interlocked stories of people, water, and technology. Donald worster argues that environmental history proceeds on three levels. Donald worster was a carson fellow from february 2011 to july 2011 and from july 20 to december 20. Stine technology and culture, volume 48, number 2, april 2007, pp. He received a bachelor of arts in 1963 and a master of arts in 1964 from the university of kansas. In 2009, he was named to the american academy of arts and sciences. Before the papago and the related pima indians appeared in the desert, their hohokam ancestors the finished or gone people built far more ambitiously, and they suffered for it. Donald worsters dust bowl is the bestknown scholarly book on the topic and a seminal work in the. Worster shows how america focused on its rivers and its waterways from the start of its development. Rivers of empire is one of them, and must reading for anyone who seeks to understand the history of this critical region of the united states. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west 9780195078060. Americans harnessed the rivers and brought water there, irrigating the land and creating great cities. In his book rivers of empire, historian donald worster has transformed this mythic picture of the west. The history of the american west is driven, in large part, by mythology. Download pdf rivers of empire free online new books in. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west by donald worster 1992, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Mar 21, 2014 rivers of empire by donald worster is a mustread for those concerned about food independence and sustainability. In rivers of empire, awardwinning historian donald worster tells the. Article pdf available in berkeley planning journal. Take the road that follows the channel of the feather river, winding through hills clothed in manzanita, madrone, and oak. While the cowboy and his wideopen range are the symbols of the mythical west, according to worster the irrigation ditch is far more representative of the real one.
To use a river without violating its intrinsic qualities will require much of us. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west by donald worster 1986, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west 9780195078060 by worster, donald and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at. Donald worster donald worster is hall distinguished professor of american history at the university of kansas and one of the founders of the new field of environmental history. Aug 08, 2019 donald worster examines the development history of the american west, identifying the elite of technology and wealth who have controlled its most essential resource. Buy rivers of empire by donald worster online at alibris. To make it suitable for largescale human habitation required the complete transformation of the region. The history of the american west begins and ends with water argues donald worster in his book rivers of empire. You will soon round a bend to the impressive sight of the worlds tallest earthen. He challenges the pattern in american historiography that claims the american west was a bastion of freedom and individuality highlighted by its peoples. He shows how the west has become the greatest hydraulic society in human history, one shaped by and completely dependent upon its dams, reservoirs and canals. Passmore, mans responsibility for nature 1973 is an excellent account of the origins ofthis tradition. Rivers of empire represents a radically new vision of the american west and its historical significance.
It explains how, in the united states, federal policies subsidize agriculture in. Offers the most probing, critical analysis of the region to date. Readers already familiar with marc reisners cadillac desert and wortsers rivers of empire will learn nothing new. Rivers of empire donald worster oxford university press. Showing how ecological change is inextricably intertwined with social evolution, and reevaluating the old mythic and celebratory approach to the development of the west, worster offers the most probing, critical analysis of the region to date. See generally, z, willey, economic development and environmental quality in californias water system 1985. He continued his education at yale university, earning an m. Worster chronicles the exploits of the agribusinessmen and engineers who financed and built the system of damns, reservoirs, and canals which transformed the american west from a. If he seems too critical of the irrigation society he describes. Worster, donald, 1941publication date 1985 topics water resources development, watersupply, hydrology. The wealth of nature environmental history and the ecological imagination donald worster. This essay is based on a talk donald worster gave at the second summer school of the european society for environmental history, which took place in venice in june 2011.
Donald worster s rivers of empire is a superb work by the environmental historian, though his critique of californias hydraulic society is more a social history. I wanted to see the green mountains rising from the water. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west by donald worster find, read and cite all the research you need on. In rivers of empire, donald worster makes a longer and i would argue more complex argument about the role of water in the settling of the arid western regions of the united states. Read rivers of empire pdf water, aridity, and the growth of the american west ebook by donald worster epub. Water, aridity and the growth of the american west. The record in the west, as worster adduces it, is replete with evidence of empire by irrigation. What conceptual and practical problems might arise in attempts to study each level. Cadillac desert the american west and its disappearing water. The genius of donald worster s a river running west is not that it provides a compelling and captivating account of the life of john wesley powell it does, but rather that through powell, worster tells the story of the settlement of the american west, the history of surveying the american west, and the professionalization of science in the. Water, aridity and the growth of the american west by donald worster pantheon. Download rivers of empire pdf ebookrivers of empire rivers of empire ebook author by james r. Donald worster born 1941 is an american environmental historian and was the hall distinguished professor of american history at the university of kansas.
In a sense it is a sacred being, something we have not created, and therefore worthy of our respect and understanding. Rivers of empire water, aridity, and the growth of the american west donald worster. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. The american west, blessed with an abundance of earth pdf and sky but cursed with a scarcity of lifes most fundamental need, has long dreamed of harnessing all its rivers to produce unlimited wealth and power. Pdf on jul 31, 2012, tim stroshane and others published rivers of empire.
Rivers of empire san diego history center san diego, ca. With increasing demands for water for municipal, industrial, and environmental uses, transfers of water from the currently predominant agricultural uses to these. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west pdf. Under western skies is a collection of essays written over time by noted environmental historian donald worster. In his 1985 work rivers of empire donald worster studied the political and social implications of the increasingly extensive irrigation works projects that transformed the arid inland valleys of california into agricultural meccas. Finally worster reflects on the potentially devastating repercussions of climate change and anticipates the return of the. In his introduction, worster clearly establishes two main themes. Water, aridity, and the growth of the american west.
Published in 1985, this book went to press as the kesterson tragedy was still unfolding. The organic machine the remaking of the columbia river. Amazon price new from used from hardcover please retry. Pulling together some previously unpublished work, along with articles already published and two new chapters written especially for this book, worster creates a collection of stories where he attempts to address some important. Worster, hall distinguished professor of history donald. Donald worster was born in 1941 and grew up in hutchinson, kansas. Water, aridity and the growth of the american west article pdf available january 2004 with 42 reads. An iconoclastic look at the history of the american west. Rivers of empire is a very impressive interpretation of water use in the american west. The updated edition, links the dust bowl to current political, economic and ecological issues. Worster argues that the environmental foundation of chinas empire was water control, and that the water policies of the united states can be understood in a similar way. See all 5 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. In his 1985 work rivers of empire donald worster studied the political and social implications of the increasingly extensive irrigation works projects that.
320 1012 559 338 1123 346 992 672 449 1083 1069 516 1442 1042 496 290 1377 1295 784 162 1489 643 1311 1137 77 633 1057 881 847 667 287 15 1197 1494 555 230 1497 1273 1119 703 36