This unique survey of the environmental history of the southern United States explores the ecological, social, and economic interaction between humans and the environment in the South over the last 20,000 years. Series Foreword ix Acknowledgments xiii Preface xv 1 PLEISTOCENE: THE BIG CHILL, Donald E. Davis 1(24) Ecological Impact of the Ice Age 1(3) Importance of Climate Change in the Pleistocene 2(1) Plant Migration and the Warming Trend 3(1) Animal Populations of the Pleistocene 4(3) Effects of the Glacial Retreat 7(4) Appearance of Humans in the American South 11(5) Theories of Pleistocene Mammal Extinction 16(2) Paleoindian Survival 18(2) The Younger Dryas and the End of the Pleistocene Era 20(5) 2 HOLOCENE: MELTDOWN, Donald E. Davis 25(30) Early Archaic Human Habitats and Culture 26(3) Effects of the Hypsithermal 29(1) Middle Archaic Human Culture 30(2) Climate Changes in the Middle Archaic Period 32(1) Late Archaic Culture 33(4) Woodland Period 37(14) Middle Woodland Culture 41(4) Late Woodland Culture 45(6) Mississippian Culture 51(4) 3 MOUNDVILLE: ENTER ZEA MAYS, Donald E. Davis 55(26) Spread of Mississippian Culture 55(10) Maize Cultivation among the Mississippians 58(4) Beans and Squash 62(1) Additional Dietary Elements 63(2) Consequences of a Mixed Subsistence Economy 65(2) Timber and River Cane Use in Mississippian Settlements 67(3) Plant and Animal Depletions in the Mississippean Period 70(5) Climate and Mississippian Survival 75(6) 4 COLONY: THE COAST IS CLEARED, Donald E. Davis 81(28) Beginnings of the Spanish Colonies 81(10) Cabeza de Vaca's Travails 83(2) De Soto's Conquests 85(6) Early French Settlements in the American South 91(1) Continued Spanish Dominance 92(3) The Columbian Exchange 95(1) British Arrivals 96(13) 5 PLANTATION: SEEDS OF CHANGE, Donald E. Davis 109(24) Rice 109(6) Indigo 115(3) Sugarcane 118(3) Cotton 121(7) Effect of Cotton Crops on Soil 125(3) The Effect of Slaves on the Environment 128(1) Other Crops 129(4) 6 UPLAND: GROWING PAINS, Donald E. Davis 133(26) Hunting and the Fur Trade 134(4) White Settlers, Population Increases, and Changes to the Landscape 138(2) Livestock and the Environment 140(10) Corn and Livestock 143(3) Bluegrass, Hemp, and Other Crops 146(4) Ores, Mining, and Environmental Effects 150(9) 7 METROPOLIS: PARADISE LOST, Donald E. Davis 159(24) Railroads and Lumber 159(7) Spanish Moss and Medicinal Herbs 166(5) Turpentine 168(3) Commercial Ports and the Rivers 171(4) Levee Construction 172(2) Dams and Electricity 174(1) The Tennessee Valley Authority and the River Ecology 175(5) Dams and Marine Life 178(2) Electricity and Industry 180(3) 8 PARADISE LOST? Craig E. Colten 183(38) A Century of Transformation 183(1) Conserving the Wild 183(9) Transforming the Agricultural Landscape 192(5) Planting a New Agriculture 197(3) Managing Hazards in the Landscape 200(10) Growing Cities 210(4) Enjoying Nature 214(2) Conclusions: The Transformation Continues 216(2) Epilogue 218(3) 9 CASE STUDIES 221(40) The Okefenokee Swamp (Georgia/Florida), Megan Kate Nelson 221(14) A Marginalized Landscape 222(2) Exploration and Extraction 224(6) Scientific Inquiry, Preservation, and Tourism 230(5) The Making of Cancer Alley: A Historical View of Louisiana's Chemical Corridor, Barbara L. Allen 235(12) From Plantations to Petrochemical Corporations 235(3) Attempt at Regulation 238(2) Further Expansion of the Chemical Industry 240(2) From "Environmental" to "Environmental justice" Movement 242(3) Corporate Versus Human Welfare 245(1) Conclusion 246 Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the South, Mikko Saikku 247(14) Important People, Events, and Concepts 261(12) Chronology 273(6) Documents 279(56) References and Bibliography 335(46) Index 381 references and index.