Subject Area
History
Abstract
Today, the Rio Grande is both a border and a resource, a means of delineating between the United States and Mexico, as well as providing water to populations that live along its banks. Both characteristics, however, are relatively new developments when it comes to the history of the Rio Grande. Indeed, the river changed more over a ninety-year period than it had in the previous two and a half million years. In 1848, the Rio Grande became a border, figuratively and literally altering its course from that point forward, even to present day. This dissertation focuses on the process of making the river a geopolitical boundary, as well as a means of sustaining the populations found throughout the arid lands of the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico.
Thus, “Fluid Boundary, Fixed Perceptions” examines the environmental history of the Rio Grande between 1848 and 1939, specifically highlighting the ways human actors tried to remake the river and how the Rio Grande, by its very nature, frustrated those plans.
Degree Date
Spring 5-14-2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
History
Advisor
Neil Foley
Second Advisor
John Chávez
Third Advisor
Johan Elverskog
Fourth Advisor
Andrew Graybill
Number of Pages
229
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Tracy, Joshua, "Fluid Boundary, Fixed Perceptions: The Rio Grande, Human Schemes, and Unreasonable Expectations, 1848 - 1939" (2022). History Theses and Dissertations. 14.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_history_etds/14
