The States of America: The West: Volune Three

Nevada, New Mexico & Oregan

The Histories Of Nevada, New Mexico & Oregan In One Collected Volume

In this masterful volume, Daniel Hardy explores three states that embody the complexity and contradictions of the American West. Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon may occupy vastly different landscapes—from searing desert basins to rain-drenched forests—but their histories reveal surprising commonalities that illuminate the broader western experience.

Hardy traces how isolation and distance shaped these territories, creating societies that viewed the federal government with both dependence and wariness. He examines the persistent struggles over water rights that have defined settlement patterns and continue to intensify under climate change. The stories of indigenous peoples—from New Mexico's enduring Pueblo communities to the displaced tribes of Oregon—emerge not as historical footnotes but as ongoing narratives of resilience and resistance.

Through vivid storytelling, Hardy reveals how the extractive economy of silver, copper, uranium, and timber created boom-and-bust cycles that still echo today. He explores the paradox of federal land ownership that makes these fiercely independent states fundamentally dependent on government decisions. The transformation brought by the atomic age, when remote deserts became sites of nuclear testing and weapons development, adds another layer to this complex relationship.

Finally, Hardy shows how all three states reinvented themselves by marketing their landscapes and heritage, shifting from extraction to experience as their economic foundation. Written in an engaging, accessible style that never sacrifices scholarly rigor, The States of America: The West, Volume Three offers essential insights into how these remarkable states were forged—and what their histories reveal about America's past, present, and future.