What is "The West"?

General Overview
This simple question is the over-arching theme for Grant and Ethan's 1st semester and one that they will explore and continually come back to as we travel the western states of the USA.  They will be asked to think about this question from a variety of perspectives and through a number of different approaches.  Along the way, and in addition to their own personal reflections, research and understandings, Grant and Ethan will interview (and even video) relatives, friends and strangers on this question as they build a larger understanding of "The West".
Ethan's Work
Grant's Work
Westward Expansion
The growth of the United States through maps
Seven Trails
Lewis and Clark: Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
Native American tribes
371 treaties: Conflict, competition and conquest
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
Geography
Rivers. Mountains. Deserts. Plains. Forests.
Ecosystems
Influence on human settlement, culture and perspective
Water. Wildfires. Waste.
A Short History of Nearly Everything​ by Bill Bryson
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
​Junior Ranger Program (National Park Service)
Myths and Realities
Whose 'West' is it?
​Manifest Destiny
Paradise or Plunder
THEMES: Exploration. Exploitation. Domination. Conservation/Preservation
What is 'Wilderness'?
The Racial Dot Map
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