Ox Cart to Automobile

Thomas Rasmussen is emeritus professor of political science and environmental studies at Alfred University. He has lived for thirty-five years in Allegany County, New York, where he enjoyed hiking the Finger Lakes Trail and walking the streets of local villages.

• Chapter 1 1. Organizing Ideas: Central Place and Prisoner's DilemmaPart 2 The Importance of Transportation CostsPart 3 Specialization and Economies of ScalePart 4 Politics and Game TheoryPart 5 Why Focus on One Western New York County?Chapter 6 2. Distance, Elevation, and Early Settlement DecisionsPart 7 The Legacy of Rocks and IcePart 8 Where Did Early Migrants Choose to Settle?Part 9 Friends, Neighbors, and Early SettlementPart 10 Early Farms and Distance from Commerical CentersPart 11 Elevation and Early SettlementPart 12 Local Villages as Central PlacesPart 13 Road Building in Allegany CountyChapter 14 3. Making Farms and Raising Crops: 1810-1850Part 15 The Collapse of Iroquois Power in Western New YorkPart 16 Creditors and Debtors: Land Speculators and Early SettlersPart 17 Carving a Farm in the WildernessPart 18 Standard of Living in the Frontier CabinPart 19 Beginnings of the Dairy IndustryPart 20 Conflict and Cooperation: Games Among NeighborsPart 21 Politics: Local Factions, Whigs and DemocratsPart 22 Taming Nature and Building HomesChapter 23 4. The Western New York Farm at Mid-CenturyPart 24 Transition from Subsistence to Cash Crop FarmingPart 25 The VIllage as Commercial CenterPart 26 A Snapshot of Typical Farms in 1855Part 27 Centers and Backwaters: Variation Among Towns in 1855Part 28 The Promise of Agricultural LifePart 29 Politics and Civil WarChapter 30 Dairy Farming, Commerce, and Rural Industry: 1865-1900Part 31 Dairy Farming in Western New YorkPart 32 A Portrait of Two Allegany Towns in 1875Part 33 Commercial Growth in Fillmore and WellsvillePart 34 Farmers and Village Merchants: Another Prisoner's Dilemma GamePart 35 Maintaining Community ValuesPart 36 Women's Role as Manager of the HomePart 37 Manufacturing in Western New York VillagesPart 38 Political Party Competition: Rum, Romanism, and RebellionChapter 39 6. The Automobile and Rural Decline: 1900-1950Part 40 Quality of Rural LifePart 41 The Decline of DairyPart 42 Politics of Agricultural DeclinePart 43 Impact of the AutomobilePart 44 Housing Styles in the Automobile AgeChapter 45 7. Life in a Barely Agricultual Western New York: 1950-PresentPart 46 Changes in the Rural EconomyPart 47 Future of the Western New York Dairy FarmPart 48 Population Trends in Allegany CountyPart 49 Measuring Economic and Social Well-BeingPart 50 The Automobile and Housing PatternsPart 51 Local Political Issues in a Larger SocietyPart 52 The Changing Landscape: From Pasture to ForestPart 53 Today's Economica Challenges and OpportunitiesChapter 54 BibliographyChapter 55 About the Author

Ox Cart to Automobile is a splendid county history.