Unruly Waters

A Social and Environmental History of the Brazos River

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Unruly Waters by Kenna Lang Archer, University of New Mexico Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kenna Lang Archer ISBN: 9780826355881
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press Publication: May 1, 2015
Imprint: University of New Mexico Press Language: English
Author: Kenna Lang Archer
ISBN: 9780826355881
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Publication: May 1, 2015
Imprint: University of New Mexico Press
Language: English

Running more than 1,200 miles from headwaters in eastern New Mexico through the middle of Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, the Brazos River has frustrated developers for nearly two centuries. This environmental history of the Brazos traces the techniques that engineers and politicians have repeatedly used to try to manage its flow. The vast majority of projects proposed or constructed in this watershed were failures, undone by the geology of the river as much as the cost of improvement. When developers erected locks, the river changed course. When they built large-scale dams, floodwaters overflowed the concrete rims. When they constructed levees, the soils collapsed. Yet lawmakers and laypeople, boosters and engineers continued to work toward improving the river and harnessing it for various uses. Through the plight of the Brazos River Archer illuminates the broader commentary on the efforts to tame this nation’s rivers as well as its historical perspectives on development and technology. The struggle to overcome nature, Archer notes, reflects a quintessentially American faith in technology.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Running more than 1,200 miles from headwaters in eastern New Mexico through the middle of Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, the Brazos River has frustrated developers for nearly two centuries. This environmental history of the Brazos traces the techniques that engineers and politicians have repeatedly used to try to manage its flow. The vast majority of projects proposed or constructed in this watershed were failures, undone by the geology of the river as much as the cost of improvement. When developers erected locks, the river changed course. When they built large-scale dams, floodwaters overflowed the concrete rims. When they constructed levees, the soils collapsed. Yet lawmakers and laypeople, boosters and engineers continued to work toward improving the river and harnessing it for various uses. Through the plight of the Brazos River Archer illuminates the broader commentary on the efforts to tame this nation’s rivers as well as its historical perspectives on development and technology. The struggle to overcome nature, Archer notes, reflects a quintessentially American faith in technology.

More books from University of New Mexico Press

Cover of the book The Ecuador Effect by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book How America Got Its Guns by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Runaway Daughters by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book The Robin Hood of El Dorado: The Saga of Joaquin Murrieta, Famous Outlaw of California's Age of Gold by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Bunion Derby by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Huichol Women, Weavers, and Shamans by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Hard Grass by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Gatewood and Geronimo by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Gila: The Life and Death of an American River, Updated and Expanded Edition. by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Rain Scald by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Inside the New Mexico Senate by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Dr. George by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book The San Diego World's Fairs and Southwestern Memory, 1880-1940 by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Tengo Sed: A Novel by Kenna Lang Archer
Cover of the book Wildflowers of the Northern and Central Mountains of New Mexico by Kenna Lang Archer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy