In spite of the massive efforts of more than a century to move water, vast swaths of the Western states are still desert and almost unlivable, though of course that has not stopped cities such as Los Angeles and Phoenix from erupting like thirsty mushrooms after a heavy rain.
Though written in 1986 - with an updated edition in 1993 - the subject matter has not lost its resonance, for of course, if anything, the scarcity of water has increased, reaching critical levels in some regions. Bureau of Reclamation followed the Mormon leader’s example and began to build dams, forever altering the Western landscape and initiating the West’s war for water.Īuthor Marc Reisner’s book “Cadillac Desert,” a deeply researched examination of the role of water in shaping the West’s history, is useful in understanding how something as basic as water has changed the course of humanity’s history and the ecosystems that all Earth’s life-forms inhabit.
With religious enthusiasm and with the wind of the righteous at his back, Brigham Young arrived in Utah and set about claiming the land for his followers, and subsequently irrigation began. Rivers flowed ceaselessly from the snow-capped mountains, promising an abundant supply of life-sustaining water, certainly more than anyone could ever need. Land so vast that it paled on the hot horizon, the West beckoned to those with the capacity to envision a home in such an unwelcoming and parched landscape. Generations before you, the first non-Native explorers ventured beyond the sleepy Mississippi, onto the arid plains and westward. By the time you see the inviting peaks of the Front Range shimmering in the summer heat, you will be thoroughly dehydrated and ready for a deep draught of cold, snow-melt water.
Your skin will start to tighten, and your craving for water will intensify. Hop in your car on a hot summer day and head steadily west from the Atlantic Ocean, and by about Salina, Kansas, you will experience the unforgettable shift away from the oppressive humidity that plagues the eastern two-thirds of the United States.
0 kommentar(er)
