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The Great Plains is Webb's view of what the entire scope of the plains really are. Webb begins the book by explaining the geographic boundaries, landscape and climatic characteristics of the plains. Webb explains how Indians survived on the plains and how their warfare, hunting, and horsemanship skills fit the plains perfectly. In addition, Webb covers the time period when the Spanish conquistadors traveled to the plains to find the "riches" of the Indians whom in the end contributed to the failure of Spanish colonialism on the plains. Webb also expanded on the life on the range and the techniques cowboys used to identify their herds and how free grazing finally progressed to fenced pastures. Webb ends the book by discussing the problems involving water on the plains, such as water transportation as well as the techniques used to farm dry land where irrigation was not possible.

I found the chapter on the plains Indians very interesting. I never knew that the plains Indians relied on sign language as much as they did. Webb gave the plains Indians plenty of credit for their hunting, warfare, and horse riding skills, but I am disappointed that he depicted them as savages roaming across the plains. If intruders came into the U.S. tomorrow and tried to change the ways in which we live, we would probably be hostile and unwilling also.

In my opinion, a few things that should have been included in the book are the role of women on the plains as well as contribution of the Norwegians to the Plains. What adaptations did the women and Norwegians have to make? There is no discussion about these group of peoples, which I feel kind of leaves the history of the Great Plains incomplete. Overall the point of the book is to show how important it was to adapt to the plains in order to survive.