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<br />G
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<br />CHAPTER 3
<br />
<br />SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
<br />
<br />Th" \ll~,uurl RJ\ler I:l:JSlII cHnlJIllS J potpOUrri \II
<br />social ;md ccollllmio.: L'hJrJderisti~.\ In pari, if mirrors
<br />the Nall<lII, and. ill pan. II IS wholly unique in ih
<br />chJ(acl~'r. SOllle of it; sodO-t'C(lIlOmk trails 3ft." 'ummon
<br />IllHJUglwUI Ih 1C'ltJllIry. nUllhcrl' ;Ht' ,llhers whidJ h;,m~
<br />signJIl.:Jnl 'pe~'lJI \'Jrialiul1s. The resull l~ thallhe ba'lIl
<br />call bl;' lit'piJrated IIlhl a numher of SUb'Jh'JS, "'oldl (If
<br />which has cuhura! lr;llh 111;11 Sl't' it apart Iwmlh" n'st
<br />The basin"s "lcial Jnd l"C\llllllllic chara.:tenqks ha\'C
<br />l;uge]y been the r<."sult of ih 'l'ltle!nf'n1 history Th1("('
<br />ekmellh of thaI hIstory Jle of parlh:ul;u interest. First.
<br />b the relallumhip of the ~orlC' of the hasin [,1 lh...ir
<br />t'lwnunrnc.'nt and the unique ,'ultuf;jl Hath whkh ha\"e
<br />r('Mllled St.'conJ, l~ the distin.:t paltelm of livelihood
<br />whidl ha'i~' dc\'elo~d durmg lhe Sl'ltlell1CIlI pl'llod.
<br />Third, ~rc Ih~' altlludes 1l1ward .:h;)/I~e whll:h tClld tu he
<br />prominent amoll~ ~'aflUUs gwupHll!' of the baslIl\
<br />people.
<br />
<br />THE SETTLEMENT PERIOD
<br />
<br />The Initial Sl'lIl<'Jl1enl pcnod 'iolartl."d ahout I hOD and
<br />end<'d wilh Ihe d,lslng of Ihe honller III I ~NO_ Dunng
<br />Ihh time, most llf the Jrable land \\;.IS .:!..illlCd ;.Ind put to
<br />;.Ign.:uhUlal U'\CS. lIowen:r. bnd liS<' and ~ltlell1l'n'
<br />densities \arled l!Jeatl~ ;.Illd I'..ere dctCflllJlled far!ld} h}
<br />two fadors; the J",!lIJhility oj' tr;Hhpor!,UiuII alld the
<br />cxtell! ,lf easily exph1llahk' natural wl'alth,
<br />lxpl\lr311un J.ull traH'1 uuo and Jhout lhe ha.;m
<br />dUflng the' fiht halt Ilf thl' 1<Jlh .:elllury had 51. 1..Jui, a,
<br />3 focal (It)inl. Thr...e rtlUtes IH'H~ opc.'n 10 the tral'e1"'1
<br />]ookmg "e.t from SI. loUIS. ((1 Ihe '><.llIthwe,t along thl'
<br />S-lnla h' Trail. to the we,l \)\"('r Ihl' Ort.'~oll fraIl. Jnd 10
<br />Ihe norlhwl'sl J]OIl!! Ihl' \hs",-'un I{J\el. The IJllpurLm.:e
<br />of these routes a, the meJns ,'or IrJverslnlZ the Great
<br />PlainS by trJdt.'H, Iht.' lTllhlar~, and -.eltler~ hJlo heen well
<br />documented. Il<lwe\'cr, Ihl"} hJ\,(, a spe.:iJI sJl!nifi('aIKe
<br />tll Ihe ba~lIl. J'lJ.:C's su.:h as St Luuis, Indc[ll"ndl'nl'l.',
<br />51 Joseph, Kall~s fil}, .md UmallJ had Iheir OllglllS JS
<br />slarllllg polllh Of Wa} ,tatiulh fllf lh~ w~stwJ.rd Trasell"T-
<br />Thc ~lIil'S along Ihe \lhsOUTl I{J\<'f be.:ame parlll-ularJ}
<br />irnpoflant fl'r Ihe~ a\.'fed as the gatl....."}' tu thc
<br />sclllcml'!1I of thl' ba~in. From th<, lirst '\COll.'lllent hJ Ihe
<br />prescnt, 11\1ISI "f the gl)od~ Ih:!! werc needed Wltlllll Ih<,
<br />
<br />hJ.Jn and the pnldu('h It l.''\fXlftt.'d pas~~d thruugh lhes.:
<br />~aleways.
<br />Tll<' ~nklllellt 01' the baslll PUll'l'l'ded sumewhal
<br />slowl}' and ull,'s'cnly prim tn Ihe Civil \\'af, Frnm the
<br />slalc of \11:i..souri, so,'lIkll1enl spre;.ld weslward aIling Ihc
<br />!\ans.as Riv~1 ;IflJ northward along thc \lissouri. Seltlers
<br />al'iU pushed In,,) lhc westl."fIl porfions of Iowa Jnd
<br />\linneS(lla. This St.'lIlcJ11<,1I1 ailing the humid cJ.stern edge
<br />of Ih.' baSin was link different from that wlll.:h had
<br />Il('l'urred l.'aSI of the \l1\-SIS'>lppl Rl\'t..r. 1I11lh'wr. Ihe push
<br />ffUm th... l.'aSl tenJ...d to faltef and sttlp al"ll~ the C'd~~s
<br />of the Greall'lains. B} ],,50, thc ",.!t]erlll'nt frurlli.:-, was
<br />relatJ\'ely statl\JlIar) alollg Ihe Inth \h'ridiaf1.
<br />The l.',p]olallOlh and slIrwys of Ihe plains portion of
<br />Ihe basin Junnl1the tir~1 half nf lhl." I<lth ':l.'nlur}' dassed
<br />Ihh afl.'a as a d~'....'ll alld unfit for agnl.'ulture, at least as
<br />it was klll'....n III the lllOIl' humid l'ast As Si"ttlelll~nl
<br />rca.:hed the ed~c of Illl" pblllS, it was appall'nt Ihat the
<br />te('hnology ....hidl had lIlild" posslbk the opl"nillg Ollhl'
<br />castern L'llIt~'d Stales W;IS ntH adequ;.Itc tu over':ollll' lhe
<br />Oh\'lOUS ha/;.Irds of thl' pia illS. Transportation, waler.
<br />hUlldlllg llIatl'rlals, fen.:in~, Jlld the Indian all werc
<br />pwhlclIls thai Ih<' prnnt'cr .....as nlll ahle 10 .:ope .....ith al
<br />Ihis l.";.IrI~ Jate.
<br />Thl' arl.";l west of the 471h \leridlall h~'l'am<, a land 10
<br />.:ross, al h('\1 a ba..... ul opt.'raflOl1, and little' Jllllle Ihall J
<br />h:.lrrier 10 thl' rldll:~ or Illl' I'adfk (");is!. Thl' \\';,r ....ith
<br />.\1e\I('ll.lh.'alla('hlllelll 01 C:tliforllla, and the ..eUll:melll
<br />ollhe dl~pUll' \\llh Cleat HnlJlIl U\ef Oreg'lll were the-
<br />mte-Ie\l~ Ihal fl'l.'('up,cd the alh'ntJon uf tht' PIIlJl('.'r,thl'
<br />rmnl.'r, .md the statc~l11an 1 h(' \\11I1l.' lllan did IlUI Ill:!kl.' a
<br />dl.'terlllim'd dror! '" II\<.' on the plallls p<HlllIn of the-
<br />l:Ja~1Il unlJI after th... d\lse 'It' the CJ\il W;u.
<br />Th~' "-aflSaS';\e-bra.ka .-\.:t of I S5~ estJblhhed two
<br />Sl"paratt.' lemlone" lhl' tlrst on the WI.'\1 sJde of Ihe
<br />\hSSllllrJ KI\'CI. Till.' :1('\ sllpulalcd that the petlple .....hl)
<br />!K'lllt'd ill th.' n<..... tt'rritllfl<;'~ were 10 d('l'fJc for
<br />Ihell1.....lves whClhcl <If n,'1 tll Icgal17c slavery. PJrti~1IS
<br />for blllh SJdl.'s l,f thl~ puhlh:al queslltlll rushed to u..:l.UPY
<br />Ihe ne.... bnd ;mJ prnJu('ed the Ilrsl selllement b(llllllof
<br />,:ullsequ<;,nre.
<br />
<br />Thc anllahllit~ of the ne.... bnd ....as l"l.'rTainly a
<br />slimulus to Illl' h"sulung inllu'\ uf ~etlkr~ lilt<) "-;H1s.Js
<br />;md \l.'bla~\..a. Iluwe\er,:1 major ':lllltTlbulmg reaSlln was
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