Nature & history in the Potomac country : from hunter-gatherers to the age of Jefferson / James D. Rice.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rice, James D., 1963- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indians of North America--Potomac River Valley--History.

Indians of North America.

Nature--Effect of human beings on--Potomac River Valley--History.

Nature.

Landscape changes--Potomac River Valley--History.

Landscape changes.

Human ecology--History--Potomac River Valley.

Human ecology.

Potomac River--Environmental conditions.

Potomac River.

Potomac River Valley--Environmental conditions.

Potomac River Valley.

Potomac River--History.

Potomac River Valley--History.

Potomac River Valley--Colonization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 338 p. ) ill., maps ;

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"James D. Rice's study of the Potomac River basin begins with a mystery. Why, when the whole of the region offered fertile soil and excellent fishing and hunting, was nearly three-quarters of the land uninhabited on the eve of colonization? Rice wonders how the existence of this no man's land influenced nearby Native American and, later, colonial settlements. Did it function as a commons, as a place where all were free to hunt and fish? Or was it perceived as a strange and hostile wilderness?" "Rice discovers environmental factors at the center of the story. Making use of extensive archaeological and anthropological research, as well as the vast scholarship on farming practices in the colonial period, he traces the region's history from its earliest known habitation. Rice makes clear the implications of unbridled economic development for the forests, streams, and wetlands of the Potomac River basin. With what effects, Rice asks, did humankind exploit and then alter the landscape and the quality of the river's waters?" "Equal parts environmental, Native American, and colonial history, Nature and History in the Potomac Country is a useful and innovative study of the Potomac River, its valley, and its people."--Jacket.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface: The Hole in the Map

A Note on Language and Usage

INTRODUCTION: Ahone's Gift

1 Ahone's Waters

2 Foragers into Farmers

3 "Kings" of the Potomac

4 The Nature of Colonization

5 Peltries and "Papists"

6 "You Come Too Near"

7 Microbes, Magistrates, and Migrations

8 "Away with All These Distractions"

9 "Frightened Away by Some Threatening Discourses"

10 "I Can Not Live in This Beautiful Land"

11 The Trouble with Boundaries

12 The Backcountry Transformed

13 "The Finest Country I Ever Was In"

CODA: Ahone's Legacy

Notes

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

V

W

Y.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (pages [259]-330) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4214-0262-9

OCLC:

794701440