Globalizing Flowscapes and the Historical Archaeology of the Mormon Domain

Using LiDAR imagery to locate historic-era homesteads and irrigation features of the Mormon Row, Antelope Flats, and dry farms historic landscapes, Grand Teton National Park, Teton County, Wyoming

“…By moving from a national ethos of Manifest Destiny in the 19 th Century (Tuveson, 1968;Shackel, 2001) to an Archaeology of the Science of Technology of Mormon Town Plans and Fences in the 20 th Century (Leone, 1973) compared with the cultural patterns of the Mormon Landscape in the American West (Dyal, Schroeder, LiDAR imagery of historic-era homesteads and irrigation 1981; Edgeworth, 2011;England, 2014;Fox, 1932;Francaviglia, 1978;Leone, 1973;Meinig, 1965;Scarlett, 2006;Strebel, 1965;Tuveson, 1968), allows one to make efficient use of modern LiDAR imagery and GIS software in the 21 st Century (cf. Leone, 1973) that allows one to peer through dense native sagebrush and relict hay fields to locate faint traces of cultural resources and land use practices within a ca.…”

The Ideal Distribution of Farmers: Explaining the Euro-American Settlement of Utah

“…The region was originally occupied by Native Americans, including the Ute, Shoshone, Southern Paiute, and Navajo, but beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, the region was inundated by homogeneous, small-scale, family-based farming communities associated with the Church of Latter-day Saints (Brown et al 1994; Jackson 1978; Malouf and Findlay 1986; Ricks 1930). Although historians have offered many proximate (sensu Tinbergen 1963) explanations for this settlement (Abruzzi 1987; Jackson 1978; Ricks 1930; Scarlett 2006; Scarlett et al 2007; Smith 2015), here we provide the first ultimate explanation informed by evolutionary theory. Based on the IFD model, we expect that individuals will initially settle in high-productivity environments, only moving into lower-quality areas as a result of demographic competition in the most suitable locations (Fretwell and Lucas 1969).…”

“…Populations grew through continued immigration and reproduction; by 1870, the Salt Lake Valley was home to 18,000 residents. Continued population growth led newcomers to establish more distant settlements beyond the Salt Lake Valley (Brown et al 1994; Ricks 1930; Scarlett 2006; Scarlett et al 2007). The new settlements were designed to be self-sufficient farming communities that adopted both irrigated and non-irrigated farming techniques (Abruzzi 1987; Arrington and May 1975; Ricks 1930).…”

Historical Archaeologies of the American West

“…Irish Canadians (Smith 2004;see also Pyszczyk 1989), Hawaiians (Bayman 2009;Mills 1996Mills , 2008Mills , 2009Rogers 1993), Metís (Burley 1989(Burley , 2000Burley et al 1992Burley et al , 1996Hanks and Pokotylo 1989), Mormons (Leone 1973;Merritt 2006;Scarlett 1999Scarlett , 2006Scarlett et al 2007), and Russians (Black 2004;Blee 1985Blee , 1989Blee , 1990Blee et al 1986;Mills and Martinez 1997;Veltre and McCartney 2002) are among some of the other groups representing diaspora populations with transnational connections and multicultural histories. Whether immigrants or people just passing through, this convergence of cultures from all over the world in the North American West was powerfully fueled by industrial capitalism.…”

“…Mining and the fur trade have been prominent in the published literature related to studying the social and cultural nuances of extractive industries in the American West. Nevertheless, the ruins of many other extractive industries lay across the region's wide, open spaces, representing harbingers of industrial capitalism, transnationalism, landscape transformation (urbanization), and colonialism, including archaeologies of logging and lumbering sites (Dixon 1996;Dixon and McQueen 1997;Hunt 1982;Paullin 2007), charcoal making (Hill 1987;Lindström 1993;Reno 1996), ceramics operations (Allen et al 2013;Matero 2012;Merritt 2006;Scarlett 2006;Scarlett et al 2007), and irrigation and water control (Hardesty and Buhr 2001;Reynolds 1995Reynolds , 1996.…”