Description
Book SynopsisExplores the relationship between automobiles and national parks, and how - together they have shaped our ideas of wilderness. This title traces the history of Washington State's national parks - Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades - and considers what it means to view parks from the road and through a windshield.
Trade Review"At its heart this book raises important questions about wilderness, democracy, and consumption: Is wilderness possible in a democratic consumer society that demands widespread public access?"
* Western Historical Quarterly *
"This is a fine, thoughtful book, one that connects the reader to familiar experiences in provocative ways. Excellent maps and photographs provide a means of relating the narrative to park landscapes. Louter demonstrates a thorough command of the relevant literature."
* Pacific Northwest Quarterly *
"A fascinating story of how the National Park Service managed to accommodate changing and contradictory ideas about the ideal relationship between nature and cars."
* Technology and Culture *
"Louter reminds us of the contingency and complexity of 'wilderness,' and moves us beyond the simplistic 'frontier Eden' critiques which have limited our understanding of this surprisingly malleable concept."
* Journal of the West *
"Windshield Wilderness. . . .is well-documented and includes an excellent bibliography. . . Anyone interested in the literature of the United States' conservation movement will profit from reading this book."
* Columbia *
"Scholars will certainly benefit from the precision of Louter's discussions, and readers interested in the intersection between bureaucracy, environment, and wilderness advocacy will find this book invaluable."
* Oregon Historical Quarterly *
Table of ContentsMaps
Foreword by William Cronon
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Nature as We See It
1. Glaciers and Gasoline: Mount Rainier as a Windshield Wilderness
2. The Highway in Nature: Mount Rainier and the National Park Service
3. Wilderness with a View: Olympic and the New Roadless Park
4. A Road Runs Through It: A Wilderness Park for the North Cascades
5. Wilderness Threshold: North Cascades and a New Concept of National Parks
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
