{"product_id":"west-to-far-michigan-settling-the-lower-peninsula-18151860","title":"West to Far Michigan: Settling the Lower Peninsula  1815-1860","description":"\u003cp\u003eWest to Far Michigan is a study of the lower peninsulas occupation by agriculturalists  whose presence forever transformed the land and helped to create the modern state of Michigan. This is not simply a history of Michigan  but rather a work that focuses on why the state developed as it did. Although Michigan is seen today as an industrial state whose history is couched in terms of the fur trade and the international rivalry for the Great Lakes  agricultural settlement shaped its expansion. Using a model of agricultural colonization derived from comparative studies  Lewis examines the settlement process in Michigan between 1815 and 1860. This period marked the opening of Michigan to immigrants  saw the rise of commercial agriculture  and witnessed Michigans integration into the larger national economy. Employing numerous primary sources  West to Far Michigan traces changes and patterns of settlement crucial to documenting the large-scale development of southern Michigan as a region. Diaries  letters  memoirs  gazetteers  and legal documents serve to transform the more abstract elements of economic and social change into more human terms. Through the experiences of the early Agriculturists process  we can gain insight into how their triumphs played out in communities within the region to produce small-scale elements that comprise the fabric of the larger cultural landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44952191041589,"sku":"ByrdShop_0870135511","price":45.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780870135514.jpg?v=1770153755","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/west-to-far-michigan-settling-the-lower-peninsula-18151860","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}