Beekmantown, New York: Forest Frontier to Farm Community

This volume reports in detail how a particular portion of the American wilderness developed into a settled farming community. To fully comprehend the history of the American people in the early national period, an understanding of this transformation from forest to community—and the pattern of life within such communities where the vast majority of the people live—is essential.

Three major conclusions emerge from Philip L. White's study of Beekmantown, New York. First, the economic advantag...