Excerpt
SOCIETY preserves certain landscapes by designating them as parks or by some other means, thereby maintaining them in their existing state as much as possible. This is done for several reasons, but often because people deem the landscape particularly scenic; because it is an unusual or spectacular natural phenomenon; or because it is significant historically, culturally, or both. Few question, for example, the scenic attributes of the Grand Teton Mountains, the spectacular nature of Crater Lake, or the historical significance of Gettysburg Battlefield. Preserved or protected landscapes possess what society has determined are unique qualities that distinguish them from other settings, and a general consensus often exists regarding these qualities.
For some landscapes, however, various groups of people perceive them very differently, or society's perception of them changes over time Tennessee's Copper Basin serves as a case in point.
The Copper Basin
The Copper Basin is located primarily in the extreme southeastern corner of Tennessee. Mountains surround the 60,000-acre basin on the west, north, and east, creating a bowl-like feature. Copper mining and smelting began in the area in the 1850s. Industrially related activities also beginning at that time included lumbering …
Footnotes
M.-L. Quinn is adjunct professor of geography and water resources at Nebraska Wesleyan University, 50th and St. Paul Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska 68504.
- Copyright 1988 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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