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The American West has always been a notable area both domestically and internationally because of its nature, people, and unique culture. In his essay titled “Understanding Western Places,” William Wyckoff explores six major topics which relate to the American West, and these themes can enrich one’s understanding of the historical region. The three main topics described by Wyckoff include human-land relationships, the making of the cultural landscape, and cultural diversity in the West.
The human-land relationship theme explored by Wyckoff concerns the connection between the people of the American West and its environment. The West of the United States constitutes a region with diverse environments which enable people to adjust to them differently. For instance, some localities have an extensive presence of extractive industries such as lumbering which ultimately impact the landscape of the region (Wyckoff 30). There are also large areas of the American West belonging to the federal agencies which impose their land management policies and thus influence the life of the local residents. Additionally, the region has a high number of national parks, such as Yosemite National Park, which every year attract thousands of tourists who not only enjoy nature but also bring change to it. Essentially, people living and visiting the American West and the region’s environment have always influenced each other.
The second topic is the forming of the cultural landscape of the American West, which involves assessing various elements of human activities in the region. For instance, some geographers studied the visual legacy of the region, such as the architecture of the rural territories, which are nowadays gradually disappearing (Wyckoff 32). The visual manifestation of Western values is also a notable component when studying the cultural heritage of the region. Researchers explored the way the cowboy culture and cattle grazing are related to the local ranching landscape. The description of the visual components of life in the American West allows one to better understand the economic, social, and historical character of the entire region. Moreover, one of the key features of the cultural landscape in the West is its proclivity towards constant evolution, which subsequently raises many questions about the preservation of the region’s past.
Finally, over the years, the American West has been populated by various people, which translated into the cultural diversity of the region. Historically, peoples of different descents have been present in the West, including Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Europeans, all of whom have made an impact on their place of living. Native Americans were the main people inhabiting the local territories and who had to adapt to them by creating their own settlement landscape. The arrival of European settlers considerably disrupted the lives of Native Americans and forced them to adjust to a new situation (Wyckoff 46). Immigrants played a significant role in the region’s culture; for instance, Hispanics influenced the settlement system in the Southwest. The cultural diversity of the American West is my favorite topic because it shows that the unique cultural landscape of the region experienced the influences of many ethnic groups.
“Understanding Western Places” by William Wyckoff provides the reader with an insight into the major themes concerning the American West. The region has always been characterized by a close relationship of people with the environment. The cultural landscape of the West has constantly been evolving for the past several centuries as the local populations had to adjust to new circumstances. Finally, the region can be described as one with a considerable diversity which translated into the unique cultural landscape of the American West.
Works Cited
Wyckoff, William. “Understanding Western Places.” Western Places, American Myths: How We Think About the West, edited by Gary J. Hausladen, University of Nevada Press, 2006, pp. 21–45.
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