Elusive Empires: Constructing Colonialism in the Ohio Valley, 1673-1800 Book

Walter Prescott Webb's The Great Plains takes a topical approach and study of the effect that the Great Plains had on those who attempted to settle it. The thesis of the book is to show how, "the Great Plains have bent and molded Anglo-American life, have destroyed traditions, and have influenced institutions in a most singular manner" (8). Essentially, Webb describes the Plains as a completely different place that Americans had to adapt to after crossing west of the 98th Meridian. To the east, he writes that civilization stood on three legs: land, water and timber. The Plains simply had land as its only resource and because of that forced American civilization to change.

The book begins with an explanation of the environment on the Great Plains and explains that they can be defined as any area that is treeless, semi-arid, and level. On top of those characteristics, Webb also outlines the importance of wind to the region, especially of "hot winds" that kill corn and other crops by the acre. In the winter, those hot winds turn to blizzards, offering another challenge for life. He also addresses the animals that reside on the Plains and characterizes them as hardened for life there and so tough that the only way to kill them is to break their back. Among these animals are the American Bison (he uses the term Buffalo), Pronghorn, Jackrabbits, and Prairie Dogs. Each of them presented their own problem for settlers. They all eat grass and plants making it difficult to grow crops without proper management. He addresses the fact that the Buffalo was the most important animal to Plains life because it provided food and shelter for the Indians and explains that they both come to an end around the same time, 1876 with the Plains Wars.

Next, Webb explains the difference in approach that the Spanish took toward the Great Plains compared to the Americans and explains why Americans did a better job of settling the region. The issue that the Spanish met was the fact that they there was nothing on the Plains that they wanted to possess, leaving only the Indians to impress their will on. Previous to their territorial expansion on the Plains, they conquered the Latin American Indian cultures for their resources on top the spread of Christianity. Simply put, the Spanish goals did not fit with the structure of the itinerant Plains Indians. The Spanish encomienda system was set up to take advantage of people who were willing to tend the land and animals there, an obvious issue when they ran into a culture of hunters and gatherers who did not have the knowledge. The American strategy for settling the West was to provide trade routes through it and then settle those in the area through economics. Webb explains that the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail were beneficial to the quick spread of American influence in the West and that the Plains, because of their lack of resources, caused Americans to move West more quickly than they would if it were wooded like the East. The six-shooter helped settlers to fight Plains Indians on horseback giving them an advantage thus making it easier to defend themselves against them and forcing them to give in to their will. Webb explains that the change to the six-shooter from the long-rifle was one of the major adaptions to Plains life by Americans.

Webb continues explaining how Americans adapted to life on the Plains by explaining the new methods and technology that allowed the region to become important agriculturally. He explains that at first agrarian culture jumped over the Plains to the Pacific slope and then worked backward from there. While waiting for new technology to allow the Plains to be farmable those living there found the most productive use of the land was for cattle creating what he calls the "Cattle Kingdom." He outlines the development and importance of Texas to the cattle industry and vice versa while explaining the necessity for long drives and the creation of cattle trails to major railheads that allowed for their commodity to be transported to the East. The Cattle Kingdom came to an end with the Industrial Revolution and created a new way of life on the Plains. Webb credits the expansion and support of the railroad industry by the United States government as the reason for the decline in the cattle industry. More railheads were established to the South relieving the need for the cattle drive and the development of the refrigerated railcar put it to its end. Barbed wire allowed the free range to be managed as personal property of those with homesteads. Basically, because of the lack of timber in the region, it was difficult to fence. Barbed wire allowed homesteaders to fence off their property and keep others off. The final piece of new technology solved the water problem in the arid/semi-arid Plains. The windmill allowed water to be taken out of the ground and for the beginnings of an irrigation system to be set up to grow limited types of crops.

With many of the major obstructions to development taken away by new technology, prairie farmers were able to expand the amount of farmable land and the government made its first attempt with the Homestead Act to get people to the region to further its development. After people moved to the Plains and began to farm, water rights became the largest issue and the government regulated it with the Desert Land Act of 1877 that limited the amount of land that could be used for farming. Along these lines, the final major issue and argument that Webb addresses is the quarrel between southerners and the government with regards to land and water distribution and expansion onto the Plains. He argues that this hurt the South economically for much of the future and hindered its growth.

The Great Plains was an important addition to the study of the history of the West because it offered a new interpretation on the place that it began. Instead of considering it simply west of the Mississippi River, he writes that it begins where the woodlands end. This is the key reason that the American way of life changed as it expanded west. Reviewers of the work acknowledge his viewpoint that differed from previous ideas about the region. They also give him high marks for his narrative and colorful writing style and the way he synthesized the disciplines of sociology, ecology, and geography with history. Besides this, they criticize the book because it lacks primary source research and uses secondary sources from close to the period. Overall though, they explain that the book is an important study of the West that should not be overlooked.

In line with reviewers, Webb's book is a relatively easy read and his ideas are presented clearly. He restates his ideas and thesis throughout the book and gives ample explanation for the way that the Plains changed American life. He does not use many citations but provides a bibliography at the end of each chapter for somebody who would like to look more deeply into a certain topic. Adding to the ease of understanding, he also uses many maps, charts, and diagrams that benefit and clarify many of his ideas and gives a visual representation and proof for those.