Let Us Now Praise Famous Gullies

Providence Canyon and the Soils of the South

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Environment, Environmental Conservation & Protection, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, History
Cover of the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Gullies by Paul S. Sutter, University of Georgia Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Paul S. Sutter ISBN: 9780820348094
Publisher: University of Georgia Press Publication: December 15, 2015
Imprint: University of Georgia Press Language: English
Author: Paul S. Sutter
ISBN: 9780820348094
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Publication: December 15, 2015
Imprint: University of Georgia Press
Language: English

Providence Canyon State Park, also known as Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon,” preserves a network of massive erosion gullies allegedly caused by poor farming practices during the nineteenth century. It is a park that protects the scenic results of an environmental disaster. While little known today, Providence Canyon enjoyed a modicum of fame in the 1930s. During that decade, local boosters attempted to have Providence Canyon protected as a national park, insisting that it was natural. At the same time, national and international soil experts and other environmental reformers used Providence Canyon as the apotheosis of human, and particularly southern, land abuse.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Gullies uses the unlikely story of Providence Canyon—and the 1930s contest over its origins and meaning—to recount the larger history of dramatic human-induced soil erosion across the South and to highlight the role that the region and its erosive agricultural history played in the rise of soil science and soil conservation in America. More than that, though, the book is a meditation on the ways in which our persistent mental habit of separating nature from culture has stunted our ability to appreciate places like Providence Canyon and to understand the larger history of American conservation.

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

Providence Canyon State Park, also known as Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon,” preserves a network of massive erosion gullies allegedly caused by poor farming practices during the nineteenth century. It is a park that protects the scenic results of an environmental disaster. While little known today, Providence Canyon enjoyed a modicum of fame in the 1930s. During that decade, local boosters attempted to have Providence Canyon protected as a national park, insisting that it was natural. At the same time, national and international soil experts and other environmental reformers used Providence Canyon as the apotheosis of human, and particularly southern, land abuse.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Gullies uses the unlikely story of Providence Canyon—and the 1930s contest over its origins and meaning—to recount the larger history of dramatic human-induced soil erosion across the South and to highlight the role that the region and its erosive agricultural history played in the rise of soil science and soil conservation in America. More than that, though, the book is a meditation on the ways in which our persistent mental habit of separating nature from culture has stunted our ability to appreciate places like Providence Canyon and to understand the larger history of American conservation.

More books from University of Georgia Press

Cover of the book Winter Money by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book At-Risk by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book The Takeover by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Natchez Country by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Black Woman Reformer by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Almost Free by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Not So Fast by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Hurricane Walk by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Teaching the Trees by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Medical Bondage by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Confederate Statues and Memorialization by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Companion to an Untold Story by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Breaking Ground by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book Regional Pathways to Nuclear Nonproliferation by Paul S. Sutter
Cover of the book New Explorations into International Relations by Paul S. Sutter
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