"The 'Pre-Occupation of the American West": American Studies ASsociation 2014 Annual Meeting
Ethnography is inextricable from any narrative we might tell about
the development of the West at the turn of the twentieth century. The professionalization of anthropology played a key role in the describing and documenting a notion of vanishing cultures--in particular, Native American cultures--which, in turn, could be
marketed as tourist attractions. Salvage Ethnography (to use Jacob Gruber's term) was fundamental to creating a culturally rich image of the West, as well as to relaying a sense of urgency about visiting a rapidly changing landscape. As a result, the region's