Dr. Robin O'Sullivan delivered a Women's History Month lecture at the Dothan public library on Sunday, March 19, 2017. O'Sullivan discussed women's wilderness experiences, nature memoirs authored by women, and historical interactions between women and wildlife in the United States. The 40-minute talk was followed by Q&A. A 'further reading' list of suggested books was provided for all attendees.
Robin O'Sullivan will be speaking at the Landmark Park Heritage Forum on Sunday, July 10, 2016.
The talk will begin at 3 pm and last ~ 45 min, followed by Q&A. Then we will have refreshments and social time. Copies of her book, American Organic: A Cultural History of Farming, Gardening, Shopping, and Eating (University Press of Kansas, 2015), will be sold. Robin O'Sullivan teaches in the History department at Troy University. Details on Landmark Park, 430 Landmark Drive, Dothan, AL 36303: http://www.landmarkparkdothan.com *** Details on O'Sullivan's book: B&N: http://bit.ly/1J32qB9 Amazon: http://amzn.to/1J5NRlu Publisher: http://bit.ly/1HxedK1 A great man once said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”[1] This statement epitomizes who John Muir was as a man, as well as, his profound words and thoughts. Muir was a “renowned naturalist, explorer, writer, and conservationist, John Muir is considered a forefather of the modern environmental movement.”[2] All of Muir’s achievements couldn’t possibly be captured in this paper, however we are very fortunate that history has captured the great things he accomplished during his time on this Earth. Muir was willing to fight for a greater cause. This is why his legacy will live forever. John Muir’s passion for nature, his gift for writing and his contributions to the conservation and preservation of the American wilderness became an essential building block in the national movement in the creation of our national parks thereby giving the responsibility to preserve the environment to every American. These qualities help to build the foundation for future generations to take an active role in caring for our environment.
John Muir was born April 21, 1838 in Dunbar, Scotland. Muir and his family immigrated to the United States when he was 11 years old. They found their new home in the state of Wisconsin. His parents were Daniel Muir and the former Ann Gilrye. Daniel and Ann Muir had eight children from their marriage. The Muir siblings consisted of three boys and five girls. They were Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann, Mary and Joanna. John was the third oldest and the first son born to Daniel and Ann Muir. The elder Muir was a minister in the Presbyterian faith and he was a very religious and stern man. One of the things his father required of him was to memorize the Bible. Being the obedient son that he was, John was able to memorize and recite three-quarters of the Old Testament by heart, and all of the New Testament. There was another side to John than just the bible. He was adventurous and enjoyed the outdoors. He enjoyed the peacefulness and tranquility that it provided. Muir found his true peace in the place in which they had recently settled. Author Amy Leinbach Marquis stated the following about Muir, “It was in this pastoral wilderness—its open skies, frozen meadows, and thousands of migrating birds—that Muir found his own religion.”[3] Muir’s passion for nature was the fuel that drove him to be the man that he became. In her writings about Muir, author Amy Leinbach Marquis was quoted as saying, “Muir began his love affair with nature at a young age. But his father believed that anything that distracted from Bible studies was frivolous and punishable. Muir’s restless spirit made him especially prone to lashings.”[4] Muir believed that the passion for nature was an undeveloped area of a person’s being. Author Donald Worster was quoted as saying, “Muir was right in assuming that the human passions, including the passion for nature, are among the least culturally constructed parts of our minds…”[5] The natural self and the human passions are developed by the environments in which we live. As a young boy Muir was inspired in writing, “Nature streaming into us, wooingly teaching her wonderful glowing lessons, so unlike the dismal grammar ashes and cinders so longed thrashed into us.”[6] “Oh, that glorious Wisconsin wilderness! Everything new and pure in the very prime of the spring when Nature’s pulses were beating highest and mysteriously keeping time with our own!”[7] The beauty that Muir witnessed in Wisconsin made an indelible impression on him. He also states, “A passion for nature can still draw people together across lines of race, class, and gender.”[8] Muir was wise far beyond his years. He had a passion for learning and creating things. As a young boy some of the things he created were truly amazing. He invented “a horse feeder, a table saw, a wooden thermometer and a device that pushed the youngster out of bed in the early morning.”[9] Muir was able to display his inventions at the 1860 Wisconsin state fair, where he received several accolades. His talents as an inventor would have enabled him to make that his career, however, this was not his true calling. Early in 1861, Muir enrolled into the University of Wisconsin where he studied natural sciences. While there he received good grades, but left after only three years. Muir had desire to study nature instead of text books. It was not an easy thing to leave the University of Wisconsin. Upon leaving Muir stated, “From the top of a hill on the north side of Lake Mendota I gained a last wistful, lingering view of the beautiful university grounds and buildings where I had spent so many hungry and happy and hopeful days. There with streaming eyes I bade my blessed Alma Mater farewell. But I was only leaving one university for another, the Wisconsin University for the University of the Wilderness.”[10] Muir starts the journey of a lifetime. After leaving school he began studying botany and took odd jobs to support himself. In March of 1867, while working at a factory Muir was temporarily blinded due to an accident, fortunately in April of 1867 he regained his sight. This was a life changing experience for him. From this point forward Muir devotes his life to the study of nature. In September of 1867, Muir decided to take a thousand-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico. “In have already had glorious glimpses of the Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Indians and Canada wildernesses; now I propose to go south and see something of the vegetation of the warm endo of the country, and if possible wander far enough into South America to see tropical vegetation in all its palmy glory.”[11] While traveling to the Gulf, Muir contracted malaria. Once he arrived at Cedar Keys, Florida he had a desire to travel to Cuba. As strange as it may sound Muir ended up in California by way of Cuba. This journey would be one of many he would take in his lifetime. “His journeys carried him to Russia, Siberia, Africa, Australia, South America, and other remote regions little visited by the ordinary traveler…It was inevitable that after reaching California Muir should be drawn by an irresistible attraction to the Sierra Nevada.”[12] The Sierra Nevada and Yosemite made an indubitable impression on Muir. After his first summer there he wrote in his journal about its beauty. His affection for the Sierra Nevada was described in his own words, “…surely the brightest and best of all the Lord has built; and rejoicing in its glory, I gladly, gratefully, hopefully pray I may see it again.”[13] “It seemed to me the Sierra should be called not the Nevada, or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light…it still seems to me above all others the Range of Light, the most divinely beautiful of all the mountains-chains I have ever seen.”[14] Muir truly loved the Sierra Nevada, so much so, that he began writing a series of articles about it called “Studies in the Sierra”. These writing launched his writing career. Muir was recognized an esteemed writer and was probably the most celebrated nature writer of his time. His words encouraged the nation to appreciate nature and all its beauty. He was well known for the journals he kept as he traveled from place to place. He was an eloquent writer, his words were filled with passion and emotion. He wrote these vibrant words about the storms of the Sierra, “It was easy to see that only a small part of the rain reached the ground in the form of drops. Most of it was thrashed into dusty spray, like that into which small waterfalls are divided when they dash on shelving rocks. Never have I seen water coming from the sky in denser or more passionate streams…Here I was glad to linger, gazing and listening, while the storm was in its richest mood—the gray rain-flood above, the brown river-flood beneath.”[15] This was just one illustration of Muir’s writing ability. In Muir’s lifetime he published numerous articles and books about his travel, as well as, his beliefs as a naturalist. “The great public service of John Muir was leading the nation through his writings to appreciate the grandeur of our mountains and the beauty and variety of their plant and animal life, and the consequent necessity for holding forever as a heritage for all the people the most precious of these great scenic areas.”[16] He wanted each person to see the beauty of nature. It made no difference to him, one’s social, economic or political status. He delivered a passionate message about nature and the world was his audience. His writings appeared to move people, as though they had some type of mystical power. More than anything Muir was known for conservationist views and his efforts to protect the wilderness. Beginning with his childhood, Muir had a yearning for nature. He believed, “…every creature has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Every form of life, like every group of people, is equal in the eyes of the Creator; indeed, all species are in some sense “people”—on this long walk…”[17] As he became a seasoned man he developed a deeper respect and connection with nature. “Muir felt a spiritual connection to nature; he believed that mankind is just one part of an interconnected natural world, not its master, and that God is revealed through nature.”[18] Muir understood the oneness of all living things. In many of his writings he used God, nature and beauty interchangeable. He defined himself thus, “walking with Nature on the sheeted plain, along the broidered foothills of the great Sierra Nevada, and up in the higher piney, balsam-scented forests of the cool mountains. In these walks there has been no human method—no law—not rule.”[19] When he was outside enjoying nature time was not a thought to him. He enjoyed wandering into the free-spirted mountains, rivers and valleys. It wasn’t for the sport of it, but to continue to connect the relationship between man and nature. He wrote articles and books calling attention to the abuse and destruction of this untrammeled wilderness for the sake of progress. The renowned wilderness photographer Galen Rowell once asked the question to Reinhold Messner, who is a well-known Italian mountaineer. The question he asked dealt with the Alps one of the most famous mountains in the world had succumb to progress. Meaning it had hotels, railways and cities in its vicinity, but in the United States it was not so. Messner answered the question by saying Muir was the difference. In his academic journal, John Muir As Deep Ecologist, author Bill Devall wrote, “Muir was one of those naturalists who, as Raymond Dasmann pointed out, “were responsible for the creation of the system of protected areas in the United States... to establish buffers against the greed and rapacity of their fellow citizens. In the 1850's Thoreau had proclaimed the necessity for protecting at least some areas in which nature could remain intact against the destructive forces of civilization.”[20] Muir’s passion for nature and wilderness began to produce fruit. In 1890, due largely to Muir’s effort Congress passed an act creating Yosemite National Park. Muir created the Sierra Club in 1892. Its purpose was to protect the newly created Yosemite National Park from cattlemen and others would attempt to lessen the park’s borders. He is also credited for the creation of the following national parks: Sequoia, Mount Rainer, Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon. By the early 1900s, Muir’s writings had gotten the ultimate exposure, they had come to the attention of then President Theodore Roosevelt. Muir’s work persuaded President Roosevelt so much that the president took a three night camping trip with Muir. The time with Muir influenced President Roosevelt’s conservationist policies greatly. Muir was always the protector of nature and the wilderness. He and the newly created Sierra Club waged many battles to protect the Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. The last and probably most dramatic battle was their fight against the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. It was a situation in which one side wanted to protect the sensitive balance of nature and the other side wanted to push for a much needed water reservoir. In 1913, Muir and the Sierra Club lost the battle, due in part to because of progress. The Hetch Hetchy Valley became a reservoir to provide a water supply for the growing city of San Francisco. After this defeat Muir seemed to just slip away in the sunset. The latter part of Muir’s life was spent mainly with his travel, his avid passion for writing and managing the Sierra Club. Muir had a life that was full of accomplishments. This nation is indebted to him for the creation of the National Park System, his vigilance in protecting our forest and wilderness, working with President Roosevelt and Congress to create environmental legislation that’s noteworthy even today. His passion for nature was second to none. His gift for writing continues to educate and enlighten us even today. We as a nation have benefited greatly from his contributions to the conservation and preservation of the American wilderness. Because of this accomplishments this nation was able to create the National Parks System. He was possibly the most celebrated and influential naturalist and conservationist of our time. He gave people a reason for wanting to protect our environment. Through a pen he was able to increase our awareness of nature. John Muir’s impact on society is still being understood. He viewed nature as not just an environment that provided materials for the human race. Nor did he look at the human race being the owners of the materials in this environment. He saw it as a harmonious union between nature and man. One in which every living thing had its own distinct right and place. No one species could take the place of the other. To Muir everything was as one, everything was complete, there were not parts that were not complete. John Muir fought a good fight and had always been true to nature and himself. He could look back on his life’s work with no regrets. On December 24, 1914, John Muir died of pneumonia at the age of 76 years old in a hospital in Los Angeles, California. Over those 76 years, Muir gave so much to the cause of protecting and preserving nature. In his memory the state of California chose to put him on their state quarter. It shows Muir looking off into the distant beholding the beauty of the Yosemite Valley, while a California condor is flying in the scene. To celebrate its 100th anniversary the National Park Service will feature John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt on a $5.00 gold coin. The National Park Service was created on August 25, 1916. Muir was fondly known as the “Father of our National Park System”. [1] Brainy Quote. “John Muir Quotes,” Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnmuir107171.html (accessed January 15, 2016) [2] University of the Pacific, University Library. “John Muir Papers,” University of the Pacific http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/John-Muir-Papers.html (accessed January 15, 2016) [3] Amy Leinbach Marquis, “A Mountain Calling: National Park and Conservation Association,” National Parks Conservation Association, http://www.webcitation.org/5yV7qVp6y (accessed January 17, 2016) [4] Amy Leinbach Marquis, “A Mountain Calling: National Park and Conservation Association,” National Parks Conservation Association, http://www.webcitation.org/5yV7qVp6y (accessed January 17, 2016) [5] Donald Worster, “John Muir and the Modern Passion for Nature”. Environmental History 10 (1). [Forest History Society, Forest History Society and The American Society for Environmental History, American Society for Environmental History, Oxford University Press]: 8–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985830 (accessed February 10, 2016). [6] William Frederic Badè, The Life and Letters of John Muir: Volume I. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1923), p. 39. [7] Ibid., 39-40 [8] Donald Worster, “John Muir and the Modern Passion for Nature”. Environmental History 10 (1). [Forest History Society, Forest History Society and The American Society for Environmental History, American Society for Environmental History, Oxford University Press]: 8–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985830 (accessed February 10, 2016). [9] Biography.com, “John Muir Biography,” Biography.com http://www.biography.com/people/john-muir-9417625 (accessed January 17, 2016) [10] Charles R. Van Hise, “John Muir”. Science 45 (1153). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 105. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1641544 (accessed February 10, 2016). [11] William Frederic Badè, The Life and Letters of John Muir: Volume I. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1923), p. 156. [12] Charles R. Van Hise, “John Muir”. Science 45 (1153). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 105. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1641544 (accessed February 10, 2016). [13] William Frederic Badè, The Life and Letters of John Muir: Volume I. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1923), p. 201 [14] Charles R. Van Hise, “John Muir”. Science 45 (1153). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 106. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1641544 (accessed February 10, 2016). [15] Charles R. Van Hise, “John Muir”. Science 45 (1153). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 106-107. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1641544 (accessed February 10, 2016). [16] Charles R. Van Hise, “John Muir”. Science 45 (1153). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 108. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1641544 (accessed February 10, 2016). [17] Donald Worster, “John Muir and the Modern Passion for Nature”. Environmental History 10 (1). [Forest History Society, Forest History Society and The American Society for Environmental History, American Society for Environmental History, Oxford University Press]: 8–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985830 (accessed February 10, 2016). [18] Public Broadcasting Service.org, “The National Parks: John Muir,” http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/people/historical/muir/ (accessed February 27, 2016) [19] Donald Worster, “John Muir and the Modern Passion for Nature”. Environmental History 10 (1). [Forest History Society, Forest History Society and The American Society for Environmental History, American Society for Environmental History, Oxford University Press]: 8–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3985830 (accessed February 10, 2016). [20] Bill Devall, “John Muir as Deep Ecologist”. Environmental Review: ER 6 (1). [Oxford University Press, American Society for Environmental History, Forest History Society, Forest History Society and The American Society for Environmental History]: 64. doi:10.2307/3984050. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3984050 (accessed February 10, 2016). Robin O'Sullivan gave a keynote address at the 2nd annual Hungry for Justice: Student Poverty & Hunger Summit, held at the Troy University - Montgomery campus on Friday, February 19th 2016. This conference was designed to raise awareness of social justice problems and develop campus action plans to address some of these issues. Community organizers and students from all over Alabama attended and engaged in the social change process. Alabama Senator Gerald Dial and Dr. Robin O'Sullivan gave keynote addresses. Senator Dial spoke about his bill to reduce the grocery tax in Alabama, and Dr. O'Sullivan spoke about her research on food, policy and social justice. In addition, several workshops on a variety of social justice topics were held. See the Hungry for Justice recap http://bit.ly/1QABXhW via @AlabamaPossible #HFJ16 Registration was free http://bit.ly/1P1dgyU and 80 people attended. Cotton and corn. Hale County, Alabama, Walker Evans, U.S. Farm Security Administration 1935-36
Dr. Robin O'Sullivan visited the Troy University campus in Troy, Alabama on Wednesday, Nov. 4th, 2015. Space in the Barnes & Noble café was reserved for guests of the presentation. She answered questions and signed her new book.
Info on American Organic: http://bit.ly/1HxedK1 Sponsored by First Year Studies & John W. Schmidt Center for Student Success The nineteen thirties can only be described as a time that tried man’s souls. It was this decade that both the Great depression and the dust bowl occurred. Everywhere across the board people were hurting. After the stock market crashed in nineteen twenty- nine, people from all walks of life found themselves in search of work, shelter, and food. However, most of those people did not have to deal with the threat of death by sand. That horror was a reality the people of the Great Plains had to deal with on a daily basis. That is however, until the dust storms dissipated after nineteen thirty-five. Never the less those that lived on the Great Plains endured one of the greatest environmental and economical disasters that American has ever faced; because the plains natural defense of sand erosions was gone farm land simply blew away; those that could not take the shifting sands fled their homes, and recovery for this area did not come swiftly.
Before the first settlers ever set foot on the Great Plains, the area was a grass land. The grass was a natural defense mechanism formed to keep the soil in place because of the volatile winds that swept through the plains; as well as the intense droughts coupled with wet seasons. In some areas the grass could reach as high as eight feet with roots going at least six feet deep. Other parts of the plains had the type of grass that the buffalo liked to eat, so naturally when settlers in the region realized the potential, they set about cattle ranching. However, the whole dust bowl region was not all grass land. Wisconsin, for example was a sandy region. This did not deter people from trying to settle the region however: “Both native-born and foreigner came to the sands because they found inexpensive land that could be cleared and worked with little capital. That the land was by and large unsuited for agriculture did not deter them. Possessing either the optimism of the ignorant or the fatalism of the desperate, they steered their long- shared breaking plows through the newly cleared jackpine or oak scrub and planted their first crops among the stumps.[1]” This new land was a ticking time bomb that would only take such abuse for so long, before it final had enough and fought back. Shifting sands and drought were not new to the Great Plains region. For many years the plains found a harmonious balance between drought, wind and rain. Just ask the native peoples that lived there when the buffalo roamed wild. However, no amount of evolution could prepare the Great Plains for the disasters that loomed due to capitalism. The plains first experienced the worst of capitalism when the cattle ranchers allowed their cattle to overgraze. When cattle ranching went on the decline a new threat loomed, and that was the threat of the hopeful farmer. This was the time that agribusiness started to flourish. Farmers were no longer just farming to put food on their tables, but they were farming to feed the U.S. This concept drove farmers to plow more land, and with the invention of the tractor, which was made widely available, horses were no longer needed. Thus, more land opened up because it was no longer being used for grazing; so they plowed that land as well; all the while uprooting their only hope against violent dust storms. It is as if these farmers and cattle ranchers forgot about the drought season. However, the nineteen thirties proved to be a reminder to everyone that this region would not fit into the mold of dutiful land: “New high Temperature records were established in the summer of 1934, and the total of nearly 300 deaths from excessive heat was four times the previous high of 75 deaths in 1931. As a result of the drought, dust storms of unprecedented intensity and duration occurred during the 3-month period from (including part of the two months) February to May, inclusive, of the Present year.”[2] For some people the dust storms were to be expected: “It’s quite to be expected that the greatest drought in the history of the prairie region should be followed by the greatest storms. And then always come the wet years. It’s a cycle as certain as that of the seasons!”[3] Even though some farmers expected these storms, they did not expect them to last as long as they did, or be as fearsome as they were. The people of the Plains had two options when it came to the drought and dust storms: either live with the drought and hope for better times, or leave the area. Those that chose to stay were eternal optimists, or rather those just too stubborn to leave. A favorite saying of the plains folk was, “If we are poor today, we will be rich tomorrow. If there is drought, it will rain soon.”[4] Sadly, optimism could not stop the storms from rolling across the land. Optimism could not make the rain come or the crops grow. Those that stayed in the plains faced dust pneumonia and endless cleaning. One of the only preventative measures against dust pneumonia was a wet cloth over the face. However, dust mask and wet cloths could only keep out some of the dust particles. Caroline Henderson describes the everyday battle these optimists faced: “At the little country store of our neighborhood after one of the worst of these storms, the candies in the show case all looked alike and equally brown… ‘Dust to eat’, and dust to breath and dust to drink. Dust in the beds and in the flour bin, on dishes and walls and windows, in hair and eyes and ears and teeth and throats, to say nothing of the heaped up accumulation on floors and window sills after one of the bad days.”[5] They did their best to dust proof their homes so this would not happen. However, they learned the hard way that sand gets everywhere. The rest of the world considered these people nuts for sticking it out, but if these brave souls would have abandoned their homes we would not have the legacy they made for us. Even though these stubborn optimists had to eat dirt, at the end of the drought and storms they still had their land and pride; which is better than what those that left the area ended up with. Not only were those that stayed fierce optimists, but they were devoted to keeping a positive image of the plain. It was the old adage; we can say things like, “…a man was knocked unconscious by a single large raindrop which fell on his head, and who revived when two buckets of sand were thrown in his face.”[6] But do not let Alexandre Hogue paint a picture titled “Drouth Survivors”, because it will almost be destroyed before it could be sold. The plains people were what they were, and they were nothing if not fierce survivors. They did not willingly choose their lot, because how were they to know plowing up all the grass would cause such devastating erosion of the land they loved. Those that left the dust bowl regions did so because they felt they had no other options left to them. They were tired of eating dirt. Tired of wondering where their next meal would come from. They were tired of hunkering down in fear when the winds came howling, bringing with them the promise of more dirt and no rain; this translated into no crops for food, or crops to sell for that matter. So the next great migration happened. A good portion of the farmers just moved into the nearest town, but as the old saying goes: if one is in the market for a new life, head west. These tired farmers who had nothing left to lose, packed up their families and rather meager belongings, and headed for California. Even though these misfortunate people came from all over the Great Plains region, they never the less became known as Okies. Once they reach California their dreams are dashed forever because they find out that: “Land in abundance but not for the Okies, work at certain seasons but at starvation wages, beauty of vista but miserable hovels for migrants and unsightly and unsanitary camps, a sympathetic attitude by an occasional small farmer but wages and working conditions set by the remote associations, and at the slightest symptom of protest brutal suppression by traffic officers, special deputies and pick handle vigilantes.”[7] This was not what they had in mind at all; “they ‘wanted fiercely to resettle on property of their own’…But the Okies’ dream of becoming self-sufficient family farmers was completely unrealistic.”[8] It was a sad situation these dust bowl refugees found themselves in, because they learned the hard way they were not the only ones suffering economically. Although they were the only ones having to deal with their back yards moving several days out of each month. John Steinbeck drew inspiration from the plight of the Okies, and wrote a great American novel called Grapes of Wrath. Although it was a fictional piece, it highlighted the day to day struggles that these migrants were facing. Steinbeck believed the people were not running from the dust, but rather running from corporation-owned farms. Sadly, the truth was the migrants that left the dust bowl region were just plain tired of all the dust and no rain. It is a simple fact: one cannot grow crops without water. While all of this was going on, Roosevelt was lobbing for all of his New Deal programs. He choose to ignore the Great Plains region, just like his predecessor[9], because the region was in a drought after all. Of course, he did have several programs in place to help the farmers. The only problem was, nothing was working. The plains people sent letter after letter to the president asking for help. They went unheeded until the Plains decided to send a message all their own: “…it was the May 1994 blow that swept in a new dark age. On 9 May, brown earth from Montana and Wyoming swirled up from the ground, was captured by extremely high-level winds, and was blown eastward toward the Dakotas. More dirt was sucked in the airstream, until 350 million tons were riding toward urban America.”[10] It was this particular storm that made Roosevelt pay more attention to the Plains region, because he was faced with the dirt of the Plains settling on the White House grounds. Oh, how helpful the American public became then. A lot of people had ideas about how to fix the problem of the blowing sands. One guy suggested “the ground be covered with concrete, leaving holes for planting seeds.”[11] Imagine the whole Great Plains region covered in concrete. It would never work, and Roosevelt was smart enough to know that. Regardless of all the helpful advice from the public, Roosevelt came up with his own ideas. The recovery effort for the plain was long and slow. Not everyone was happy for the hand outs. For example, the Okies that migrated to California held strong views: “Like most white southerners of their day the migrants were Democrats, who supported FDR but preferred that problems be solved at the local level. They disliked the idea of a large federal government and, for the most part were opposed to large-scale government relief efforts even for themselves. ‘If people stay on relief too long it takes somethin’ out of them.”’[12] However, these migrants were still willing to accept the relief that was being offered. It was after all better than the alternative. Another way the government was helping fight back against the trouble in the plains was that it bought most of the cattle that had survived the dust storms. Those lucky cattle who did not have their insides coated in mud, were sold and turned in to canned meat. The meat was then given away to the poor. Even though the cattle farmers lost money by selling livestock to the government, at this point any money was better than no money at all. With the money they received, livestock farmers were able to pay back loans they had borrowed, and therefore survive until it rained. By all accounts, the worst of the storms ended after what has become known as Black Sunday. It is a good thing that this storm was the last major storm that happened, because “instant darkness followed, lasting 40 minutes. Then for a period of about 3 hours there was darkness, with occasional breaks of very short duration. By midnight the dust became light. Many people were caught out in the storm, and these people had a variety of experiences to relate after the storm had passed…The almost entire absence of all birds following the storm is one proof of its severity. Another proof of its severity was shown in the great number of jack rabbits seen lying dead on the prairies during the next few days.”[13] It was a good thing that this was the dust bowls last great hoorah, because as resilient as the Great Plains people were, the human soul can only put up with so much devastation. After this last great storm, there were several smaller ones that happened, but they weren’t so bad as to warrant any more people leaving. With all the drought relief money flowing in, and all the government programs set up to rehabilitate the grasslands, the Great Plains stabilized somewhat. With the return of the rain, instead of dust, things were looking up for the people considered the dust bowl survivors. When it was all said and done, the dust bowl was one of the worst environmental disasters to happen in America. Luckily for future generations, the people of the plains learned their lesson, and started to respect the land. Albeit the people of the region still prescribe to till the land up; it is after all there for our use. They go about it in a way that keeps harmony with the land. After all, nobody wants a repeat of the dirty thirties. Wheat farmers were the early successors in the region, and in today’s time wheat is still the main crop in the Great Plains. It is, after all, where we get our cereal from. Those that migrated to California ended up staying, and to this day there are still little pockets that can be traced to the unfortunate Okies. Even though land was lost, people fled, and recovery was slow; the Great Plains survived and is now thriving. The stubborn optimist won out in the end. Even though the odds were against them they did not waver, so future generations could become stewards of the land. [1] Goc. Michael J, “The Wisconsin Dust Bowl” The Wisconsin Magazine of history, 73.3 (1990): 162-201. [2] Brown, Earle G. "Dust Storms and Their Possible Effect on Health: With Special Reference to the Dust Storms in Kansas in 1935." Public Health Reports (1896-1970) 50.40 (1935): 1369-383. [3] Umland, Rudolph. "Spring of the Black Blizzards." Prairie Schooner 9.4 (1935): 243-49. [4] Worster, Donald. Dust bowl: the Southern Plains in the 1930. New York: Oxford UP. 1779. Pint [5] Henderson, Caroline A. and Alvin O. Tuner. Letters from the Dust Bowl. Norman: U Oklahoma. 2001 Print [6] Umland, Rudolph. "Spring of the Black Blizzards." Prairie Schooner 9.4 (1935): 243-49. [7] Caughey, John Walton. "Current Discussion of California's Migrant Labor Problem." Pacific Historical Review 8.3 (1939): 347-54. [8] Shindo, Charles J. “The Dust Bowl Myth.” The Wilson Quarterly (1976) 24.4 (2000) 25-30 [9] Worster, Donald. Dust bowl: the Southern Plains in the 1930. New York: Oxford UP. 1779. Pint [10] Worster, Donald. Dust bowl: the Southern Plains in the 1930. New York: Oxford UP. 1779. Pint [11] Worster, Donald. Dust bowl: the Southern Plains in the 1930. New York: Oxford UP. 1779. Pint [12] Shindo, Charles J. “The Dust Bowl Myth.” The Wilson Quarterly (1976) 24.4 (2000) 25-30 [13] Brown, Earle G. "Dust Storms and Their Possible Effect on Health: With Special Reference to the Dust Storms in Kansas in 1935." Public Health Reports (1896-1970) 50.40 (1935): 1369-383. The Benefits of the Forest: Brevard, North Carolina, a Case Study
For most people, enjoying the outdoors is a luxury. Their jobs require them to be indoors, behind a desk, looking at a computer screen for hours on end in an office lit by fluorescent bulbs. Hopefully their office has a window that allows them to glimpse in the outdoors. Being outside in and of itself has its own unique benefits. Our skin naturally makes vitamin D when it is exposed to sunlight and there is nothing quite like taking in a deep breath of fresh air while walking through the woods or standing near a waterfall. One of the best places to experience the outdoors is state and national forests. Within these forests, visitors and adventurers have the freedom to stretch their legs and explore seemingly countless acreage filled with trees, rivers, waterfalls, wildlife, and countless other “attractions”. It truly can be a sanctuary for those seeking relief from the mundane rituals of everyday life. The forest also offers another unique set of opportunities that are not always associated with the traditional thinking of what a forest is and how it operates. The towns and communities that surround state and national forests are able to benefit from their existence in ways that are not afforded to other municipalities. The small town of Brevard, North Carolina, nestled cozily in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the western end of the state, serves as a prime example. A large portion of the Pisgah National Forest directly borders the town to the northwest, while a few miles to the southeast lies the Dupont State Forest. What are the advantages of having so much forestland so accessible, and how does it serve local communities? Within these vast expanses of trees, rivers, and countless miles of trails are near endless possibilities for adventure, education, and discovery. Beyond its borders the forest opens up even more opportunities for society to work in tandem, providing a powerful and unique exchange. In the midst of the economic boom in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, George Washington Vanderbilt, grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, decided to build a home and an estate in the western forests of North Carolina. Initially, Vanderbilt purchased two thousand acres of western North Carolina real estate to build upon. However, by his death Vanderbilt’s estate stretched across one hundred and twenty-five thousand acres of pristine landscape that included rivers, mountains, and beautiful forests.[1] The crown jewel of George Vanderbilt’s estate would become the magnificent home he constructed. He opened the home to his friends and family on Christmas Eve, 1895, where guests could wander through the more than four acres of floor space containing thirty-five bedrooms, forty-three bathrooms, and sixty-five fireplaces.[2] Vanderbilt’s estate and home are impressive by modern standards, not to mention the standards of the late nineteenth century. His home still stands as the largest privately owned home in the United States. With most of Vanderbilt’s property being lush forest, he decided to bring in experts to manage them and the resources they had to offer. Gifford Pinchot, considered by some to be the “nation’s most forceful advocate of national forests,” was hired by Vanderbilt to assess the land and create a park within the forest.[3] Pinchot, a Yale graduate, also studied forestry tactics in Europe during the late 1880’s. According to an article on Pinchot penned by Harold T. Pinkett published in The North Carolina Historical Review, he returned from Europe in 1890 to find the United States “without a single acre of public or private land under systematic forest management.”[4] When George Vanderbilt opened his homestead up to Pinchot for his management and development of the forest, Pinchot was given the opportunity to pioneer a new field in the United States. Pinchot was able to find value within the forest, both in an economical sense and sense of beauty and preservation. In anticipation of the World’s Columbian Exposition to take place in Chicago, Pinchot prepared a pamphlet and an exhibition to showcase the Biltmore Forest.[5] Pinkett says that the Biltmore Forest Exhibition “appears to be the first formal illustration of scientific forestry ever made in the United States.”[6] Pinchot saw the value in the western North Carolina forests and wanted to conserve them, once telling a colleague, “North Carolina happens to be so situated that the Northern and Southern floras meet within the State. There is no other state in the union where so many of the valuable kinds of trees are found.”[7] Though his work and continued exhibitions, Gifford Pinchot’s influence would go on to help create national forests within North Carolina.[8] Using his knowledge and experience gained through the Biltmore forests, Gifford Pinchot would go on to serve as the first Chief of the United States Forest Service in the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1895, Dr. Carl A. Schenck was brought in by George Vanderbilt to manage the Biltmore Forests, replacing the outgoing Gifford Pinchot. Schenck, a German native, was like Pinchot trained in the European ways of forestry earning a PhD before turning thirty. Dr. Schenck began implementing his own variety of forestry tactics upon arriving in western North Carolina. He taught his workers his methods, what they meant, and how they would work in providing for the sustainment of the forest. It was in this manner that forest education in the United States began to take shape in grassroots form.[9] In 1898, less than three years after arriving in Vanderbilt’s forests, Schenck opened the first forestry school in the United States in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The opening of the Biltmore School of Forestry, in quite literal terms, began a whole new professional field for Americans to explore. Where Pinchot had the vision to see large and beautiful forests such as those in western North Carolina turned into a type of natural sanctuary, Schenck was now providing the means to provide and steward those same places. A booklet produced by the school for potential students stated that “a forest school cannot make a full-fledged forester: it can only lay the foundation and point the way out. Mastership in any profession comes only after long experiences and practical work… It is true in the woods… that a man of merely theoretical training is utterly useless.”[10] It became clear as Schenck’s school began to take root that it would provide a very practical, hands on experience in the instruction of the ways of forestry. If experiential learning was what Schenck was aiming for in educating students, then placing his school in the middle of the vast forest of mountains of western North Carolina would be a paradise for those seeking to learn. George Washington Vanderbilt passed away at the age of fifty-one from heart failure following an appendectomy.[11] He would leave behind not only a magnificent home and prestigious estate, but a legacy of allowing his homestead to be the pioneering grounds for new a vocation and access to forests in the United States. Vanderbilt’s wife, Edith, formally offered to sell a large portion of her late husband’s estate to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of maintaining it as a national forest. In a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Edith proclaimed about the land, “I wish earnestly to make such disposition of Pisgah Forest as will maintain in the fullest and most permanent way its national value as an object lesson in forestry, as well as its wonderful beauty and charm.”[12] On May 21, 1914, the National Forest Reserve Commission, a precursor of the United States Forest Service, approved the purchase of eighty-six thousand and seven hundred acres of forest from the Biltmore Estate, with the intention of preserving it by creating a national forest. The land was purchased for $433,500, exactly $5 an acre. Mrs. Vanderbilt actually lowered the cost for the purchase of the land by $200,000 to insure that the property would be placed into the proper hands.[13] This land was purchased in accordance with the Weeks Act of 1911, which authorized Congress to purchase private land in order to ensure the conservation of “forests and the water supply of the States entering into such an agreement or compact.”[14] After the acquisition of “Pisgah Forest” as it had come to be known, over one million acres of land had be purchased under the Weeks Act specifically in the mountains of the eastern United States.[15] The heart of downtown Brevard, North Carolina finds itself located only three and a half miles from one of the most heavily used entrances to the Pisgah National Forest. Technically, if you travel virtually any distance to the north out of downtown you have crossed the forest’s boundary. With the city quite literally nestled against the forest, Brevard has come to afford a rich and vast amount of resources both within the forest itself and because of the forest. Author and professor Aldo Leopold writes in his masterpiece work on conservation, A Sand County Almanac, that the wildness is something to be experienced and used, though not abused. In an essay aptly titled “The Wilderness”, Leopold touts that forest areas should be used for recreation and science. Regarding recreation, Leopold states, “the value of recreation is not a matter of ciphers. Recreation is valuable in proportion to the intensity of its experiences, and to the degree to which it differs from and contrasts with workaday life.”[16] Brevard and its neighboring towns and communities are especially well positioned to experience the wilderness and the forest surrounding in the manner Leopold prescribed. The small mountain town rallies around the forests, fully ready to experience all it had to offer and all that it can provide. To the average passerby, Brevard College may present itself as nothing more than an ordinary small town college. However, closer examination will show that it’s proudly defying any such stereotype. The beautiful, gently paced Kings Creek cuts right through the heart of campus and into the French Broad River who carries its waters through the Biltmore Estate and beyond. The small college has come to make a name for itself with its esteemed music program, but also for its Wilderness Leadership & Experiential Education Program (WLEE). Students who choose this course of study will experience what the school calls “The Immersion Semester”. During this semester, students while out in the field for over a month, experience kayaking, mountain biking, caving, and twenty-one days straight of wilderness expedition.[17] The Immersion Semester is overseen by a highly educated and trained faculty that guides their students through the experience. During the course of the semester, they will “actively develop leadership, teaching, and technical outdoor skills, and experience a variety of natural environments.”[18] Graduates of the WLEE program often find jobs in a variety of fields ranging from summer camps, education, and service in government forest agencies. The direct proximity of the Pisgah National Forest allows Brevard College to operate a unique program training students in the wilderness leadership and management, thus echoing the ideals of Pinchot, Schenck, and Leopold. Extending the reach of the Pisgah National Forest’s educational opportunities is the Cradle of Forestry in America. The Cradle of Forestry, located about fifteen miles from Brevard, inhabits a familiar location within the forest rich with history. In 1968, Congress designated the original location of the Biltmore School of Forestry as a historical site.[19] After serving the United States’ first forestry students, the location of the Cradle within Pisgah continues to educate the masses on the ways and importance of conservation of the forest. The campus offers an array of exhibits, programs, and activities for students of all ages, hosting thousands of visitors every year, including tourist and school groups. The Cradle provides visitors hands-on experience in the forest, as well as a glimpse into the past, as the original forestry school and homestead from the late nineteenth century has been preserved. The Cradle of Forestry in America has become a location, much like the Biltmore School before it, dedicated to the task of educating its visitors to the benefits of the forest and the importance of conserving it. Within the boundaries of Transylvania County, of which Brevard is the county seat, there are more than seventeen summer camps, each with its own unique style, but all sharing a commonality: the forest. All of these camps utilize the forest in an effort to train, equip, and provide campers with wilderness experiences they may not otherwise be able to experience. The philosophy for Camp Kahdalea/Camp Chosatonga harps on this note, stating, “Children need time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life as well as time to play, dream, and explore.”[20] In order to execute that philosophy, these camps employ the forest in an experiential manner, harkening to Leopold’s ideals of what forests and the wilderness should be used for. Brevard’s location makes it a natural tourist hub for visitors wanting to get the most out of their time in the forest. While preservationists such as Edward Abbey would be horrified at the notion of a “tourist hub” geared towards bringing visitors into forests and wildernesses, these small towns surrounding Pisgah have managed to maintain a balanced mixture of appreciating the forest and all it has to offer, while also building businesses geared towards helping visitors and locals alike fully experience the forest. With Pisgah as their backdrop, many small specialty businesses have been able to launch and grow as a result of having the forest as a resource. These include outrigging companies like Backcountry Outdoors and Davidson River Outfitter, both suited to provide hiker, campers, and climbers with any gear they may need. Sycamore Cycles provides equipment and mechanical work to cyclists as Brevard plays host to countless bikers, both visitors and locals, who look to take advantage of the hundreds of miles of trails the forests surrounding Brevard have to offer.[21] In the last decade the Brevard-Asheville area has steadily come to play host to numerous brewing companies in both the local and national brewing scenes. In 2011 the Lyons, Colorado based Oskar Blues Brewery opened its second brewery just outside of downtown Brevard. The company’s spokesperson said of the move to Brevard, “the incredible outdoor recreation surrounding Brevard brought [us] to the area, and the small town feel of the city reminded [us] immediately of Lyons, Colorado.”[22] Other local microbrewing companies such as Brevard Brewing Company and Pisgah Tavern have made their home in Brevard where adventurers can relax with a brew after a day in the forest. Local writer Dan Hesse summarizes that, “there is no metric to certify that beer tastes better after putting in work on the trail or with the amber glow a sunset encompassing the surrounding mountains. It just does.”[23] Hollywood has been attracted to the forests surrounding Brevard for some time. Waterfalls located in the Dupont State Forest, located twelve miles southeast of Brevard, have been featured in scenes with Daniel Day-Lewis in Last of the Mohicans, and Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson in The Hunger Games. The later movie has created a tourist industry in and of itself, as fans of the books and movie clamor to go on “Hunger Games Tours”. In an effort to make filming in North Carolina’s forests more attractive to filmmakers, the state legislature has passed multiple tax breaks and authorizations for grants in order to boost the film industry within the state.[24] With the forests being so vital to the history, lifestyle, culture, and economy of Brevard, Transylvania County, and the region in general, the locals of this area have vested themselves as stewards of the forests that surround them. In 2013, the mountain community was put to the test when a company attempted to gain authorization to build a plant that uses a process known as “pyrolysis” to turn garbage and waste into energy. David Bradford, a resident of neighboring Cedar Mountain, wrote an opinion piece for The Transylvania Times stating that he came to the situation with an open mind. “I was not an adversary, but entirely willing to weigh all side of the issue,” Bradford wrote.[25] Bradford would go onto say that his position turned when he realized the effect such an industry could have on the community. “Our diversified prosperity rests in the lifestyle we offer…”, Bradford concluded.[26] A majority in the county agreed with Bradford’s sentiments and proposed a moratorium of approval on the project of the county commissioners so that the community could gather more information on the issue. [27] For many residence and business owners in the county the issue was not about politics. It was about making sure the best decision was made for their county, which contains such a rich natural environment. State and national forests offer visitors and locals a vast array of opportunities for adventure, exploration, and recreation. Through the efforts of George Vanderbilt, Gifford Pinchot, and Carl A. Schenck, the abundant and sweeping forests of western North Carolina were preserved for future generations to cherish and enjoy. Within the forest, visitors and locals are treated to hikes through countless miles of beautiful terrain, views of cascading waterfalls, fishing in lush flowing streams and rivers, along with numerous other adventures. The forests also offers unique experiential educational opportunities not easily found in other places. Where forests offer unique opportunities within their borders they offer the same outside their perimeters. Towns such as Brevard, North Carolina are afforded unique possibilities and experiences due to their proximity to the forests, creating a synthesis between nature and civilization. Local writer Allison Taylor expressed the town’s relationship with the forest in Native Eyewear’s Locals Only Project publication: Some of nature’s best exploration lives, breathes, and grows in the forests of Brevard. These rich and fertile lands are the heartbeat of our town, and they’re laden with diverse hiking and biking trails, lakes and streams surging with fresh mountain trout, rope swings over frigid river holes, matchless paddling playgrounds, and climbing rocks that rival the Nation’s best. This is our backyard, and living here means being surrounded by more public forestlands and outdoor exploits than you can shake a birch branch at. Even the name of our county, Transylvania, translates to “across the forest.”[28] The early visionaries of preserving the forestlands sought to keep these areas pristine for the benefit of not only the planet, but humanity in general. The effects and the benefits of having state and national forests is felt far and wide. By staying in step with the early founders of forestry the future of these rich and fertile lands is assured: a factor that everyone benefits from. [1] Kelly Hennessy, “North Carolina History - The Biltmore Estate,” The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, accessed April 28, 2015,http://nchistory.web.unc.edu/the-biltmore-estate/. [2] “Estate History,” Biltmore, 2013, accessed April 28, 2015, http://www.biltmore.com/visit/biltmore-house-gardens/estate-history. [3] Samuel P. Hays, Wars in the Woods: The Rise of Ecological Forestry in America (Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press, ©2007), 10. [4] Harold T. Pinkett, “Gifford Pinchot at Biltmore,” The North Carolina Historical Review 34, no. 3 (July, 1957): 346-57, accessed April 28, 2015, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23516901. [5] Ibid., 351. [6] Ibid. [7] Ibid. [8] Ibid.,353. [9] David S. Lee, “The Biltmore Forest School: Poking Back Into an Extraordinary Time,” The American Biology Teacher 74, no. 7 (September 2012): 1, accessed April 29, 2015, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/abt.2012.74.7.7. Lee’s grandfather was a student of Schenck at the Biltmore School of Forestry. His article give unique insight into the work of the school. [10] Ibid. [11] “G.W. Vanderbilt Dies Suddenly; Seemed to Be Recovering from Operation for Appendicitis When Heart Failed.,” New York Times, March 07, 1914, accessed April 30, 2015, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9901EFDE163AE633A25754C0A9659C946596D6CF [12] Pinkett, 355. [13] American Forestry: The Magazine of the American Forestry Association, Pisgah Forest Purchased, June, 1914, 425-29, accessed April 3, 2015, https://books.google.com/books?id=hcfNAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.. [14] The Act of March 1, 1911 (Popularly Known as The Weeks Law), 16 U.S.C. 552 (1911). [15] American Forestry, 429. [16] Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays and Reflections), Reprint ed. (New York: Ballantine Books, 1986), 272. [17] “Wilderness Leadership & Experiential Education,” Brevard College, 2013, accessed April 30, 2015, https://brevard.edu/academics/WLEE. [18] Ibid. [19] Don Burdette, “The Cradle of Forestry in America,” Forest History Today (1998): 42, accessed April 3, 2015, http://www.foresthistory.org/publications/FHT/FHT1998/cradle.pdf. [20] “Camp Philosophy,” Camp Kahdalea/Camp Chosatonga, 2014, accessed April 30, 2015, http://www.kahdalea.com/philosophy.html. [21] As a side note, the Brevard College Cycling team has won three Mountain Biking National Championships, including back-to-back in 2009-2010, of which my oldest brother was a member [22] Dan Hesse, “Something Brewing in Brevard,” Locals Only Project: Falling for Brevard, 2014, 24-27. [23] Ibid., 24. [24] Information on North Carolina’s current film credits and grant may be found at the North Carolina Film Office’s website: http://www.ncfilm.com/. [25] David Bradford, “Biker, Not Biomass,” Transylvania Times, April 18, 2013, accessed May 1, 2015,http://www.transylvaniatimes.com/story/2013/04/18/opinion/bikers-not-biomass/12757.html. [26] Ibid. [27] In July of 2013 the commissioners passed the moratorium. Due to widespread outcry from the community, the company withdrew its bid for the facility. [28] Allison Taylor, “Across the Forest,” Local Only Project: Falling for Brevard, 2014, 52-59. |
AuthorRobin O'Sullivan Archives
March 2017
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