Master of Arts / Department of Geography / Lisa M. Harrington / Hayscapes, or haying landscapes, are distinctive cultural landscapes that evolve through
time as a result of technological changes in response to economic realities. Since settlement
began in the western United States, hay-making has gone through a number of mechanical
revolutions that have given rise to an assortment of different methods employed in the process of
gathering and storing hay. For this research, the changes in haying technology and resulting
cultural landscapes are divided into four eras based on the haying methods of the time in western
Montana and eastern Idaho. Common haying technology used in the study area at one time or
another includes rudimentary devices, hay derricks, Beaverslides, overshots, swinging arm
stackers, small, rectangular balers, tractors with front loader extensions, loaf stackers, round
balers, large, rectangular balers, and forage harvesters (choppers). Farmers and ranchers create
different hayscapes based on the technology used. There are different reasons for using different
haying technologies, such as the type and size of agricultural operation, economics, and personal
preference.
Landscapes are documents, and by “reading” the haying landscape, we are able to
acknowledge the story of the transition of life and ways of the past to present-day living of the
people. Insights are discovered regarding past and present technologies and aspects of their
social and economic systems. This study examines the different past and present haying
landscapes of western Montana and eastern Idaho to better understand reasons and ways in
which human activities have imprinted the landscape and given rise to distinct, and aesthetically
pleasing, patterns on the earth’s surface.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/4191 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Sando, Linnea Christiana |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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