Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West

Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West is a nonfiction book published in 1991 by American author and environmental historian William Cronon. In a historical narrative of Chicago, one of the most successful American cities, Cronon traces the roots of 19th-century ecological and economic thought that turned the western frontier into a central metropolis. The recipient of many recognitions and awards, Nature’s Metropolis began as a doctoral dissertation at Yale University, where it was supported by a Danforth Fellowship and by a fellowship from the university.

This study guide references W. W. Norton & Company’s Kindle edition.

Plot Summary

Nature’s Metropolis is a historical analysis of how Chicago, the American West, and areas in between came to rely on one another for economic and ecological prominence. As much as the text is a historical narrative, it is also a personal one. Cronon traces his own struggle to accept the city as a place where nature exists symbiotically with the surrounding countryside.

The book opens with a geographical overview of Chicago and its surrounding areas. Tracing the history of the western railroads, the dependence on grain as a cash crop, the explosion of the lumber industry, and the revolutionary way livestock agriculture took over the nation, Cronon presents a compelling argument for how natural resources in rural areas were directly responsible for Chicago’s success.