Warning: Undefined variable $num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 126

Warning: Undefined variable $posts_num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 127

 

Cronon begins the second chapter oh his novel, Nature’s Metropolis, with the boosters’ discussing all of the natural advantages that are seen in Chicago that they almost that people played a role in the scenario. Although the boosters discussed the advantages of the area, Cronon makes the reader aware that disadvantages also existed. Where citizens wanted to build a harbor in the mouth of the Chicago River, there was a hindrance preventing them from achieving their vision. This led to the Chicagoans to “take fate into their own hands” by constructing plans for a canal, which led to the creation of the first part of second nature. Although the creation of the canal allowed for improvement, there was still the issue of travel. Through the months of November through April, there was not much traveling because there was either too much water on land that mired wagons from traveling or too little water leaving ship stranded, hindering farmers who would want to sell their goods. There were first hand accounts from people such as Ralph Waldo Emerson who traveled to Chicago; who upon seeing the problems in transportation questioned why bother traveling. When Cronon introduces the next section of the chapter, Artificial Corridors, a solution was brought the traveling issue comes to light. Cronon introduces the improvement being constructed along the canal, railroads system between Chicago and Galena. With the railroad system, the issue of weather interferences is minimal and allowed for an increase in information influx and faster transportation. To the residents who have gotten used to the system, seeing the railroads became a natural occurrence. This chapter focuses on the will people have when fighting against nature and what they see as “nature” which was discussed a bit in the previous chapter. When dealing with the lack of transportation, plans were to build canals and railroad systems to improve the situation. Although not made but nature, people begin to see such things as a part of nature.