Do You Know That? Unknown America I.

When you say America, oftentimes only think of New York's Manhattan skyline, just as we have seen thousands of immigrants from Europe in the early 20th century, or the Hollywood sign, the Golden Gate Bridge or the West Coast National Parks and the sunny beaches of Florida also needless to mention. What is in between, she has a huge land area of ​​Great Founding Fathers, remains largely unknown for many of us. All those states - Dakota, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Lowa, known only from westerns with John Wayne or more road movie, it's her true face of America. Endless and often dull green surface, straight Highways, interstates - as referred as main roads, perhaps lined with endless lines of wooden fences or walls Texan ranches cobs in the Northeast. Hundreds of kilometres still the same horizon, drugstores with cracked gas station, where you a few cents (bucks) are poured drip black coffee, swap a few sentences, and greet a happy way, way behind the goal, who eagerly anticipate each new ripple in unending road. Filed a brief description of the way the American Midwest may cause frustration for many, boredom or a sense of unease that comes out of it forever, till you can see.

Great Plains is the area around an area of ​​Germany + France size, stretching from southern Texas-Mexico border, to the Canadian territory of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. To the west is bordered by the Rocky Mountains and east of the Mississippi River basin. The centre goes through 100 degrees west longitude - Meridian. The territory of 10 countries, monotonous prairie landscape with vegetation, that ages has been primordial Indian population. In these areas dominated the Sioux tribe. Their life was inextricably linked with the animal, whose endless herd numbered to 12 million heads. The first unnatural enemy until they became man and modern settler predator without cause. The states of this, for Indians sacred animal, from the middle of 19th century, were declined about almost 99% of the original 70 million units. For bison became the fatal year 1871, when Congress approved the law allowing virtually complete destruction of these animals, whose applicability of the white settlers were Indians compared with only minimal.Annual and monthly drop and reportedly was in some areas and about a quarter million head of wild cattle. For 20 years, left the herd of 80 million only 542 pieces, ripe for extinction. Up to the year 1905 the Company entered into the game to save the bison, which in turn established a number of reservations. Their merits and change of general public meaning now has about 300 thousand buffalos.

A similar fate was waiting unfortunately the original Indian population which, although not hunted for meat and skin (humanists forgive), but they became the scourge of demon alcohol, fire water, which came as gunpowder and rifle with white settlers. IF we wanted to devote more space to the Indians and their way of life, we probably would not be enough space of one article, so we'll only about the current state. Today the U.S. is around 310 autonomous Indian reservations, which are fully self-government under the local councils, without much supervision and intervention of the U.S. government. Of the total area occupied 2.3% of national territory with a different degree of authority and internal laws. Phenomenon has become the Indian casinos that have the reserves to attract more tourists, including finances, since today's IN-Indian needs a TV network to a normal life ...

To be continued.

Text: Jan Chaloupka

Photo: FreeFoto.com a Wikipedia Commons: J.Dykinga, Cassini83