The Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky Mountains: A Study in Anthropogeography

Abstract

The Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky I\Iou}itains Appalachians arc distinguished by a central zone of depression, flanked on the east by the Appalachian Mountains jiroper, and on tiie west by the Allegheny and the Cumberland JMatcaus. This central trough is generally designated as the Great Ap[)alachian \ alley. It is depressed several hundred feet below the highlands on either side, but its surface is relieved by intermittent series of even-crested ridges which rise looo feet or juore above the general level, running parallel to each other, and conforming at the same time to the structural axis of the whole system. The valleys between them owe neither width nor form to the streams which drain them. The Cumberland I'lateau forms the western highland of the Great Valley in Eastern Kentucky, 'J'ennessee, and Northern Alabama. This plateau belt reaches its greatest height in Kentucky, and slopes gradually from this section to the south and west. Its eastern escarpment rises abruptly (Soo to 1500 feet from the Great Valley, and shows everywhere an almost perfectly straight skyline. The western escarpment is very irregular, for the streams, flowing westward from the plateau, have carved out their valleys far back into the elevated district, leaving narrow spurs running out into the low plains beyond. The surface is highly dissected, presenting a maze of gorge-like valleys separating the steep, regular slopes of the sharp or rounded hills. The level of the originally upheaved mass of the plateau is now represented by the altitude of the existing summits, which show a remarkable uniformity in the northeast-southwest line, and a slight rise in elevation from the western margin towards the interior. About 10,000 square miles of the Cumberland Plateau fall within the confines of the State of Kentucky, and form the eastern section of the State. A glance at the topographical map of the region shows the country to be devoted by nature to isolation and poverty. The eastern rim of the plateau is formed by Pine Mountain, which raises its solid wall with level top in silhouette against the sky, and shows only one water-gap in a distance of 150 miles. And just beyond is the twin range of the Cumberland. Hence no railroads have attempted to cross this double border-barrier, except at the northeast and southeast corners of the State, where the Big Sandy and Cumberland Rivers have carved their way through mountains to the west. Railroads, therefore, skirt this upland region, but nowhere penetrate it. The whole area is a coalfield, the mineral being chiefiy bituminous, with several thousand square miles of superior canne! coal. The obstructions growing out of the topography of the country, and the cheaj) river transportations afforded by the Ohio for the Kanawha Gift American HJfiliprJpal Review FEB 2 6 1925 TJic Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky Mountains EASTERN PART OF KENTUCKY. Note the very small development of railroads.and Monongahela River coal have tended to retard the construction of railroads within the mountains, and even those...

Soil Properties of Steep Appalachian Old Fields

“…Shifting cultivation of com (Zea mays L.) was widely practiced on steep mesic slopes in the Appalachian Mountains during the period from 1800 to about 1930 (Poundstone and Roth 1935, Bennett 1939, Hart 1977, Otto and Bums 1981, Otto and Anderson 1982. Yields were initially low and declined rapidly as the decomposition of tree roots and plowing led to accelerated erosion of the surface soil (Semple 1901, Ayres and Ashe 1905, Poundstone and Roth 1935, Barnes 1938, Dils 1953. Some fields were permanently abandoned after 2-10 yr of use; others were temporarily abandoned and reclaimed after 1-15 yr oflying fallow (Semple 1901, Ayres and Ashe 1905, Davis 1925, Craig 1932, Poundstone and Roth 1935, Hart 1977, Otto and Bums 1981.…”

“…Yields were initially low and declined rapidly as the decomposition of tree roots and plowing led to accelerated erosion of the surface soil (Semple 1901, Ayres and Ashe 1905, Poundstone and Roth 1935, Barnes 1938, Dils 1953. Some fields were permanently abandoned after 2-10 yr of use; others were temporarily abandoned and reclaimed after 1-15 yr oflying fallow (Semple 1901, Ayres and Ashe 1905, Davis 1925, Craig 1932, Poundstone and Roth 1935, Hart 1977, Otto and Bums 1981. Deciduous forests recolonized most of these areas after abandonment even though in many cases the soil A horizon had been completely lost dur-1 Manuscript received 24 June 1985;revised 29 October 1985;accepted 30 October 1985. ing the period of cultivation (McCarthy 1933, Coile 1952.…”

Bringing geography to the book: charting the reception of Influences of geographic environment

“…In a series of papers between 1897 and 1901, Semple synthesized and represented aspects of Ratzel's geographical philosophy. This work culminated in 1901 with the publication of her most personal work, ‘The Anglo‐Saxons of the Kentucky mountains: a study in anthropogeography’ (Semple 1901). Semple's demonstration that anthropogeography could be studied in the field, and that environmental influence was a legitimate causal explanation, was significant for those geographers who believed that the promotion of the discipline depended upon an ability to adhere to a scientific and nomothetic approach (Beckinsale 1981).…”

Canons, classics, and inclusion in the histories of geography

“…I have only browsed Semple’s Influences of the Geographic Environment 1 but enough to recognize that is it more complex than stereotypically represented. I have, however, read her article on the Anglo-Saxons of the Kentucky mountains (Semple, 1901), because its field-based research with women is of interest to my own research. Reading reflects one’s motivation.…”