Thursday 23 August 2012

Historian Examines Animals' Role in Westward Expansion

ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) — The story of westward expansion in the United States is often told from the perspective of the men and women who crossed the Great Plains in search of a better life in the west. But a historian at Missouri University of Science and Technology is bringing to light the role settlers' animals played in the westward migration of the mid-1800s.

Dr. Diana L. Ahmad, an associate professor of history at Missouri S&T, discusses the relationship between pioneers and their stock -- mainly oxen, mules, horses and cattle -- in an essay published in the summer 2012 issue of the Great Plains Quarterly. She notes that the westward travelers' success depended greatly on their interactions with the animals.

"Domestic animals successfully brought thousands of emigrants to Utah, California, and Oregon," Ahmad writes in her essay, "'I Fear the Consequences to Our Animals': Emigrants and Their Livestock on the Overland Trails." As a result, "emigrants on overland trails forged new relationships with the domestic animals that accompanied them."

Continued:
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120821212506.htm

No comments:

Post a Comment

You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

ShareThis