{"product_id":"retracing-the-dragoon-trail-in-iowa-environmental-transformation-along-the-des-moines-river-9781611865691","title":"Retracing the Dragoon Trail in Iowa: Environmental Transformation Along the Des Moines River","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eRetracing the Dragoon Trail in Iowa\u003c\/i\u003e, historian Kevin T. Mason presents a vivid and deeply researched account of Iowa's evolving landscape, beginning with the 1835 expedition of the First U.S. Dragoons. Drawing from archival records, maps, government surveys, Indigenous histories, and ecological data, Mason explores how Iowa's prairies and wetlands gave way to farms, towns, and transportation networks. He situates these environmental shifts within the broader forces of Manifest Destiny, military expansion, and settler colonialism, while amplifying the voices of the Sauk, Meskwaki, Dakota, and other Indigenous nations whose histories are often marginalized.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Mason doesn't just write about history--he walks it. His 371-mile journey retracing the original dragoon route across Iowa blends scholarship with storytelling, captured through video essays, photography, and writing. This modern-day trek, featured on Iowa PBS's\u003ci\u003e Iowa Life\u003c\/i\u003e and Iowa Public Radio's \u003ci\u003eTalk of Iowa\u003c\/i\u003e, brings the past into the present, offering a compelling look at how landscapes remember. The result is a powerful contribution to environmental history, regional studies, and Indigenous scholarship--one that reveals the layered interactions between land use, policy, and historical change.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kevin T. Mason\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Michigan State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.2lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781611865691","brand":"Michigan State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45521132880009,"sku":"9781611865691","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_20a3dac6-b644-4307-88e1-01e2562f26b5.jpg?v=1776225912","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/retracing-the-dragoon-trail-in-iowa-environmental-transformation-along-the-des-moines-river-9781611865691","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}