Field science in the Railroad Era: the tools of knowledge empire in the American West, 1869-1916

Abstract

Focusing on the field sciences during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this paper analyzes how railroads served as tools of knowledge empire in the American West. The political economy of this region, shaped by the rise of Populism and capitalist development with federal and state government support, provided the context for cooperation between field scientists and railroad companies. Early on, the displacement of American Indians and their concentration on reservations was intertwined with the research of the Bureau of Ethnology under John Wesley Powell. Later, railroad companies became important patrons of field research, primarily through their provision of free or reduced-fare passes for travel. This research ranged from state universities undertaking research in horticulture and irrigation engineering to metropolitan natural history museums whose field work in paleontology had cultural or symbolic value.

Instrumentos científicos en México

“…El giro material y los estándares aparecen por ejemplo en Lampland y Star (2009), y Arellano (2011). Su relación con infraestructura es visible en trabajos como los de de Vetter (2008); Larkin (2013); y Harvey y Knox (2015).…”

The Key Factor of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in the History of the Contribution of Mining Industry to the Prosperity of the United States and South Africa: A Review

“…The access to the region by trains was established during the Transportation Revolution from the mid-1800s to the late 1800s as shown in Figure 1, resulting in the promotion of the development of coal in the region. In 1869, transcontinental railway to the American West was constructed, and the development of the west region was accelerated [27] [28]. On the other hand, during the settlement of the America in the1840s, the findings of gold in the American river by John Sutter, who was a farmer, attracted many people from Europe to west region in the U.S., California [29].…”

Saberes Híbridos: las Sugar Companys y la moderna plantación azucarera en Cuba

“…A nivel interterritorial, la construcción del ferrocarril por William Van Horne documenta otro tipo de circulación para el Caribe hispano, inspirada en el modelo norteamericano. Vetter (2008Vetter ( , pp. 598-612 y 2011, por ejemplo, estudia en Estados Unidos el papel de los ferrocarriles en el establecimiento y apoyo de sitios del conocimiento, creando estaciones experimentales y como soporte de los viajes de los científicos.…”