Updates
November 18, 2012: buffalo auction in western South Dakota today.
July 25, 2012: flashback! A reader sent me this great link to National Geographic (see comments). I probably have the issue stored away somewhere. A must-site to visit -- even for a minute to see the photos -- I wonder if NatGeo will do a follow-up -- with a "positive slant"? (If they have, I missed it, which wouldn't be unusual.)
Later, 3:30 p.m.: a reader pointed out a spelling error. It should be "Poppers." I appreciate that. Thank you. I've corrected it. [Later, 9:00 p.m.: a bit of background -- that really bothered me, getting the name wrong; no excuse. I was in the middle of moving from one location to another with our granddaughters and wasn't as careful with fact checking as I should have been. It was easy, also: the first link takes you directly to the correct spelling. I remember checking the spelling carefully and then still made a mistake. So I appreciate someone catching it and taking time to tell me.]
Original Post
A long, long time ago I reminded folks of the Poppers and their quite incredible suggestion to bring back the Buffalo Commons to the Dakotas.
Then, earlier this year, I pointed out the burgeoning energy zone / corridor running from North Dakota to Texas, referring to it as America's energy renaissance zone. I couldn't decide on "corridor" or "zone." I felt "corridor" was being over-used by the media and that corridor was a bit restrictive; it's larger then just a corridor.
But it looks like the mainstream media will go with "corridor," and I probably will use that term more often than not, but whatever, I digress.
The reason for the post is this: a reader sent me the link to an-op in the Grand Forks Herald bringing back the memories of the Poppers, and introducing "energy corridor" to its readers. This editorial pretty much says everything I've saying for quite some time now.
“Get ready for an American century,” writes Walter Russell Mead, humanities professor at Bard College and editor-at-large of The American Interest magazine.Wow, what a great country. I wonder what the Poppers are doing today. [That's rhetorical; lease don't tell me.]
“That appears to be the main consequence of the energy revolution that is now causing economic and political experts to tear up their old forecasts all over the world.”
And here’s the thing: If this “American century” unfolds as Mead and others predict, it’s likely to be centered on the place where it began: North Dakota.
By the way, the various links will eventually lead to The American Interest Magazine online, if interested, which has some interesting reading for July/August, 2012.