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Part 5: George Perkins Marsh and the rise of the Conservationist movement
The Hudson River School was just the first step in the growth of the Conservationist movement, going on to inspire many others, chief among them George Perkins Marsh. https://twitter.com/EsotaricPorgism/status/1312238977362132992
Part 5: George Perkins Marsh and the rise of the Conservationist movement
The Hudson River School was just the first step in the growth of the Conservationist movement, going on to inspire many others, chief among them George Perkins Marsh. https://twitter.com/EsotaricPorgism/status/1312238977362132992
"Born in Vermont in 1801... Marsh's own work marked another turning point in the way people interacted with their surroundings...Throughout his life, Marsh had witnessed the devastation of the state's native forests firsthand; by the 1830s only 20% of Vermont's forests remained."
Side tangent, how did this get so bad? Well, first, large portions of forested land were cleared to make room for farming in Vermont. This, would've certainly deforested Vermont to some extent, but certainly not deforesting 80% of the land. Turns out, It was the damn sheep.
Spanish Merino to be specific. Prized for its "fine, thick wool that was soft, water-resistant & long-fibered", Spain kept a tight grip on the control of this breed. However, in the chaos of the Peninsular War, American Merchant William Jarvis smuggled 4,000 merino sheep out.
He continued to send more with "15,767 merino sheep arrived on the East Coast from Spain from 1810-11. ". Economic pressures such as the growth of the woolen industry along with the Embargo Act meant that wool from Britain could no longer be bought, making the sheep a godsend.
The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with "Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each." With this, sheep herding became a craze.
![The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with "Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each." With this, sheep herding became a craze.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EmwhuRLW8AAR0hk.jpg "The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with \"Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each.\" With this, sheep herding became a craze.")
![The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with "Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each." With this, sheep herding became a craze.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Emwh5UBXUAE2bKq.jpg "The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with \"Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each.\" With this, sheep herding became a craze.")
![The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with "Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each." With this, sheep herding became a craze.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EmwiRWuWEAEdnac.jpg "The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with \"Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each.\" With this, sheep herding became a craze.")
![The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with "Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each." With this, sheep herding became a craze.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EmwifxFXYAgwsqL.jpg "The boom was incredibly apparent to farmers with \"Textile manufacturers [paying] $2.00 for a pound of merino wool, while common wool sold for 37.5 cents a pound. Common sheep sold for $2, while Merino rams sold for as much as $1,500 each.\" With this, sheep herding became a craze.")
The Merino Craze subsided by the 1850s but by then a new Industry was changing Vermont and further deforesting its environment-Mining.
Then you have the most evocative example of destructive industry, lumber. Once transportation became cheap, a clearcutting phase of Forestry dawned and soon many forests were cut down. The scale was so large that Burlington became one of the largest lumber ports in America.
However, this rapid deforestation caused severe soil erosion that made "the land susceptible to soil exhaustion, loss of wildlife, erosion, flooding, and increased risk of fires"
SIDE TANGENT END: The bastards at The University of Vermont retired one of the services I used to get these archival photos which means I can't get them as easily so fuck em. Let's continue on our main story.
