≫ Libro Beyond the Hundredth Meridian John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West Wallace Stegner 8601420047204 Books

Beyond the Hundredth Meridian John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West Wallace Stegner 8601420047204 Books

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Beyond the Hundredth Meridian John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West Wallace Stegner 8601420047204 Books

First published in 1954, it is still a must-read for understanding the Western USA. John Wesley Powell's contribution to the the advancement of science is remarkable and Stegner's extensive research impressive. This book is far more than an adventure tale of John Wesley Powell, although Stegner conveys the riveting excitement of Powell's explorations. But Stegner also shows how Powell understood that the land use and water rights policies that worked in the eastern states were doomed to failure in the West. (Parts of which were still unmapped in 1954!) But most impressive is how Stegner unearthed Powell's towering achievement in the advancement of Science and the establishment of government agencies such as the US Geological Survey.


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Beyond the Hundredth Meridian John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West Wallace Stegner 8601420047204 Books Reviews

I was looking for an enjoyable read about what surely must have been an incredibly interesting journey through the west. The author's style of writing was just not for me. Before buying, suggest reading the "Introduction" which is available if you click on "look inside" on the page for this book. I only read up through the introduction of the book, and then skimmed the rest.
Stegnar always understands Western United States. This is "diary" of early exploration of the Grand Canyon and the lands around and the contributions of Powell. Such bravery and in a way, blind times in changing weather, new lands, exploration that isn't for everyone. This book planted seeds of desire to read other interpretations of these parts of the mid- and south west.
I have enjoyed several of Stegner's books and was looking forward to this look at John Wesley Powell's foresight about water woes in the West. I thoroughly enjoyed some the earlier parts in the book where Powell's travels along the Colorado River and in parts of the Southwest were detailed, but this book eventually became mostly an ordeal to finish. Stegner obviously did an incredible amount of research before writing this book, and he must have been extremely interested in his topic. He certainly covered it thoroughly, but for my interests, he was just TOO THOROUGH. Things about which I did gain some insight, though, were the politics and federal involvement that led to the great Northern California water projects of my youth in the 1950s. A big problem that plagued Powell at the close of the 1800s and perplexed Stegner when he wrote the book in the early 1950s still remains today - TOO many people for the available water supply.
...wrapped up in a lyrically written and finely researched history.

I had not read anything by Wallace Stegner for many years, until a recent trip to the Grand Canyon restored my interest in the history of its exploration. Many choices are available to discover the history of the last part of the American west to become marked as something other than "unknown" on government maps. In "Beyond the Hundredth Meridian" Stegner expands the horizon beyond the confines of the dangerous canyon walls that threatened John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition through the Grand Canyon.

To be sure, Stegner is an excellent chronicler of the that trip down the Colorado. He captures the adventure, the danger, the great unknowns that faced Powell's crew. That voyage is the centerpiece of the first half of the book, and could stand on its own as a a tour de force of American discover.

Stegner gives us much more. He incorporates sophisticated discussions of the cultural climate, and the intersection of antebellum political mores in Washington, the fabric of relationships between the US government, native Americans, the Mormons and western settlers. He illustrates fine points of topography, geology, geography and river hydrology as he focuses on the essential element of any migration to the west water. He explores the grand topics and the often overlooked (would "Big Canyon" be as good a name as "Grand Canyon" ? It almost got this name!).

As these lessons unfold, the book never comes across as a textbook. The writing is vibrant and often lyrical, without being overblown or self important. If you've spent any time in the parts of the United States where the rain is scarce and the vistas are vast, this book will provide an important education in the many forces that came to bear on its settlement. Even if you haven't, you'll acquire a solid foundation in the complex calculus that provides the initiative for discovery.

This quite simply a great piece of historical writing.
Wallace Stegner is one of the foremost writers of the American West, both as a novelist and historian. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian is a pioneering history of John Wesley Powell, who was not only explorer of the American west but also an individual who developed scientific method and documentation in its discovery. Stegner assiduously has studied the primary materials produced by Powell and others, the scientific treatises and measurements, and the political environments that surrounded federal policies for the settlement of the American West. Stegner himself was a eloquent environmentalist who was influenced greatly by his studies of Powell, especially the studies of water and settlements of the American West. It is a well-researched and well-written history of Powell, the exploration of the Colorado River, and politics--a history that has contemporary merit as the Western states confront population growth, drought and water allocations.
First published in 1954, it is still a must-read for understanding the Western USA. John Wesley Powell's contribution to the the advancement of science is remarkable and Stegner's extensive research impressive. This book is far more than an adventure tale of John Wesley Powell, although Stegner conveys the riveting excitement of Powell's explorations. But Stegner also shows how Powell understood that the land use and water rights policies that worked in the eastern states were doomed to failure in the West. (Parts of which were still unmapped in 1954!) But most impressive is how Stegner unearthed Powell's towering achievement in the advancement of Science and the establishment of government agencies such as the US Geological Survey.