西部开发是美国历史发展的重要组成部分,从一定意义上说,没有西部开发,就没有今日之美国。自从著名史学家弗·特纳开创西部史以来,这一题目一直是美国史研究中最迷人的领域之一。传统上,我们总是从人类发展进步的角度去理解西部开发,看到的净是文明与进步:随着移民的不断西进,资本主义的小麦王国、畜牧王国和矿业帝国的兴起,现代化定居区的出现等等。即便是在研究中涉及到环境,那也是为了说明人类社会的发展这一主题。可是,如果我们从环境史的角度去理解以美国为代表的北美西部开发,所见到的就不再仅仅是进步和发展,还有惨重的生态悲剧和教训。
Western Exploitation is the most fascinating part of America's development in 19^th century. Since Frederick Jackson Turner published his famous paper The Significance of Frontier in American History, frontier historiography has been the most initiative and flourishing field in American history. Traditionally we always judge the exploitation from the point of development and modernization, therefore what we could see is just progress and the success of civilization. However, from the viewpoint of environmental history, America's Western Exploitation was an environmental disaster to both the land and the people living on it. Basing on the lessens of these environmental disasters, the American people began to launch a series of conservation and protection.