Cadillac Desert

Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water | Introduction


Historians of the West have typically focused on events that opened the great landscape of the American Desert to settlers. Such events included the Lewis and Clark Expedition, wars with the Indians of the Great Plains, and the Homestead Act of 1862. New historians of the American West have been employing a political environmentalism to develop an environmental history, which has led to a number of revisionist approaches to American West narratives.

Marc Reisner’s Cadillac Desert is such a revisionist history. His focus on the creation of infrastructure to support Western settlement exposes a history, not of rugged individualism and romantic cowboys, but of the construction of a heavily subsidized and tremendously expensive ‘‘hydraulic society,’’ founded on and maintained by the greed and competitiveness that is behind the American Dream. Reisner examines the West’s ecologically dangerous, and ultimately harmful, dependence on dams and aqueducts, as Americans pursue the ideal of taming the Great American Desert. The author focuses on the relentless building of dams and irrigation systems, as well as the corruption behind these developments, to show how the American need to control the environment has affected (and still does affect) the ecological welfare of national resources. Reisner also describes the rivalry between two governmental powers, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engi neers, in their attempts to transform the nature of the American West.

The year it was published, Reisner’s book became a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1999, Cadillac Desert was placed sixty-first on the Modern Library list of the most notable nonfiction English books of the twentieth century. Reisner’s book has inspired an entire generation of historians and historically aware environmental activists.
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water Summary

Cadillac Desert begins with the author’s description of the American West as ‘‘a civilization whose success was achieved on the pretension that natural obstacles do not exist’’—or, as he calls it in the first chapter, ‘‘A Semidesert with a Desert Heart.’’ Reisner introduces the environmentalist agenda through which he explores the history of development in the West, following its major influences individually through time rather than chronologically.

Discovering and Pioneering the American West
The book’s opening chapters describe the discovery of the American West by the Europeans; the first Spanish explorers searching for El Dorado found the continent hostile and unusable. After the United States purchased the land, they sent in survey expeditions to research and evaluate it. The 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition resulted in an uneasy ambivalence toward the West: every ‘‘fertile prairie’’ stood in stark contrast to a ‘‘forbidding plain.’’

Nevertheless, the perception of the West as ‘‘the Great American Desert’’ drastically changed by the late nineteenth century. John Wesley Powell, after a scientific expedition down the Colorado River in 1869, put forth a program for settlement that imitated the pseudo-socialism of the successful Mormon irrigation systems in Utah. Powell’s advice was ignored. By 1876, Powell could already see the results: ‘‘Speculation. Water monopoly. Land monopoly. Erosion. Corruption. Catastrophe.’’

The warnings of experienced Westerners were ignored as the American West attained the definition of an untouched frontier full of promise. Soon, the settlements began to change the landscape, challenging the harsh desert conditions with the belief that ‘‘rain follows the plow.’’ This slogan was the lead of a promotional campaign with the political goal of making the West more appealing and of encouraging relocation of settlers from Europe and the East. The government sold them land cheaply, and according to the original Homestead Act from 1862, 160 acres was ‘‘the ideal acreage for a Jeffersonian utopia of small farmers.’’

Summer in the City

Every year Downtown Bath hosts free musical events throughout the summer, with weekly concerts at the Gazebo in the Library Park rich across Kismet Inn Spa Bed and Breakfast. In fact, often guests sit on the porch people watching and listening to the music. Live music in a lovely quaint town. My guest sip on tea, nibble on some of the confections I make, chat and enjoy the music as well as the scenery. It is often quiet with few cars so it does give the feel of times gone by specially since Kismet Inn bed and breakfast is a completely organic, local and natural place. So organic, local and natural that even my washing detergent is locally made, chemical free, so organic that I hardly ever use a dryer to dry the wash, always line dry them or during winter dry them on the magnificent old radiators that are original to the house with a date on each one of them reading '1891'

City of Bath, Maine has more music to offer than just the Gazebo across from Kismet Inn, Bed and Breakfast, Spa, at Waterfront Park which is only one block away from the inn, right on Kennebec River. There is also special performances held at the 'Chocolate Church Arts Center' which also is only couple of minutes walking distance from the inn.

The Gazebo Concerts are Tuesdays & Fridays starting June 26 - August 21st
Concerts begin at 4 p.m.

July 4th, 2009

Every year during July 4th holiday the 'Library Park' across from Kismet Inn bed and breakfast spa takes a new face. Tents are put up for artists & artisans that come from all over New England area and maybe even New York or farther South to showcase and sell their work. Every night there is live music, food and a big book sale goes on as well. The book sale is right across from the library and Kismet Inn bed and breakfast at 'Winter Street Church' that is a historical landmark in Bath, Maine. There is also strawberry shortcake sale that goes on.

Kismet Inn bed and breakfast has the best location for all this happening and the fireworks that take place right across the river. Guests always enjoy the entire weekend. Live music has already started, cars are already parking on the streets around and the celebration is starting. Kismet Inn is enjoying the full view with live music.

From Roses to Garlic

I love innkeeping simply because I can do so many different things, as an innkeeper I am able to do so many things that I absolutely love in life. I love hosting, cooking, decorating, gardening, knitting, reading and anything that gives me the ability to grow and nourish my own soul as well as others. Having created Kismet Inn bed and breakfast, spa has given me just that.

Hosting at Kismet Inn is not just to accept guests for a stay over but more of a lifestyle where I get to meet people from all walks of life and all over the world. With each guest I learn something new in life, it opens up so many windows and gets me out of the box which most of us create to put people into, categorize, regionalize, nationalize, customize and the list can go on. Most of my guests are between late 20s to late 50s who are concerned with their environment as well as everything good in life.

I can say with much affirmation that all of the guests at Kismet Inn bed and breakfast Spa love everything about the inn that is from the decor to its food... a true organic lifestyle at the inn. This organic lifestyle is not something that I have learned newly or adopted because it is becoming trendy it is the way I have always lived. And being organic does not apply just to food but a lifestyle that applies to everything I do in life from food to gardening, cooking, washing detergent and other cleaning agents and line drying all the wash, it indeed is a way of life for Kismet Inn bed and breakfast spa inn. I can't imagine living any other way.

All the products I use that can be local are local, that includes my washing detergent, all the other cleaning agents. Not to mention even the beds, armoires, coffee tables are locally made by Mark Donavon who is a brilliant wood artist, craftsman from Bowdoinham, a town smaller than Bath about 20 miles north of Bath.

Wedding at the Library park across from Kismet Inn

Kismet Inn, luxury boutique, all organic bed and breakfast, Spa is situated in the heart of historic Bath, midcoast Maine right across from the 'Library Park' It is indeed an idyllic setting where you can hold your wedding ceremony then have the reception at Kismet Inn. The food is completely organic, prepared right here at the inn by Shadi Towfighi, the owner, creator and innkeeper of the inn. Please visit http://kismetinnweddings.blogspot.com/

Below are series of photos I took from a wedding ceremony held at the park on a beautiful sunny day in May 2009.

Fundraising at the Beautiful Kismet Inn

On Sunday, June 7 Brunswick Park and Gardens hosted a fundraiser at the lovely Kismet Inn in Bath. Participants were treated to a tour of this unique and remarkable inn. Its owner, Shadi Towfighi, prepared a cup of her signature tea for each guest. There were three garden talks, including: Master Gardener Debbie Atwood's discussion called "From Seeds to Supper"; Habitat Steward Gretchen Kamilewicz who discussed ways to create a wildlife-friendly backyard; and Master Gardener Jan Colyear who offered suggestions for growing perennials in various light conditions. The afternoon included the homemade baked goods, a plant sale and a raffle. Participants left better educated about gardens, carrying any one of an amazing variety of plants to complement their home gardens.

Wild Mushroom Omelet

Guests get a range of different breakfasts during their stay at the Kismet Inn Bed and Breakfast, Spa. Usually the first day it is Wild Mushroom Omelet served to guests on their first Day of stay. There are 7 different kinds of wild mushrooms from 'Oyster Creek Farm' in Damariscotta, Maine north of Bath. The eggs are from Sparrow Farm, organic and free range.. with salt, pepper and masala spice.