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In The Great Plains, Walter P. Webb attempts to advance the theory that people adapt to the environment. In the first couple of chapter, Webb lays some groundwork so that he can support his theory in the upcoming chapters. He discussed the physical characteristics of the Plains such as the climate, animal life, and plant life. The first illustration used by Webb to show that people adapt to the environment is the Plains Indians. Because the Indians have been here the longest, they are well adapted to their environment. The single most important event for the Plains Indians was the introduction of the horse. Now they could cover much more ground in this wide open space. The Indians perfected their horsemanship skills and were unmatchable. Sign language was a useful form of communication for the Plains Indians, and there has been much debate over whether it was developed for communication within the tribe or between tribes. It is evident that Webb sees the Indians as savages and an inferior people group, but political correctness was not stressed at the time Webb published his work.

The Spanish were the first major group of explorers on the Plains. Although they were accustomed to the landscape, they had only one purpose in mind: conquest. When the conquistadors discovered that there was no gold on the Plains and that they could not make the Indians slaves, they abandoned the mission and viewed it a failure. The Spanish explored the Plains from the south, but the Americans came from the East. The Great Plains were seen as the Great American Desert for quite some time. Much of this chapter is viewed from a Texan perspective, as Webb is from Texas. We see the influence of the six-shooter and how it aided in battle with the Indians.

The Great Plains became a great cattle kingdom. The vast, wide open space of the plains was a perfect grazing ground for raising cattle. Some people had to be convinced that the Great Plains had any agricultural value at all. The way of life for cowboys on the range was unlike anything else in the world. His life revolved around the herd. Changes came in the ways cattle were raised, moved, sold, and bred. Major controversies came when fencing entered the picture. The fencing practices of the East were impractical in the West, so adaptations were made. Many cattlemen opposed fencing because they preferred the open range that they were used to. The farmers needed the land to be fenced so that the livestock did not kill their crops. Eventually, laws were established. The sub-humid climate of the Plains caused for innovation in finding water. Again, the ways of the East were not possible in the West. Drilled wells, windmills, limited irrigation, and dry-farming were the adaptations of the people of the Plains to the shortage of water. The book ends with a discussion of literature of the Great Plains and some additional comments by Webb about various questions and issues about the Plains.

One of the most interesting parts of the book to me was the Spanish explorers. Because of their background, they should have been more successful on the Plains. They were from a similar environment. I think that Webb was trying to point out that because they failed to adapt, because they only kept their own agenda, they did not survive on the Plains. The chapter on the Cattle Kingdom was also interesting. It is hard for me to imagine how cowboys kept track of all the cattle in their herds before they were fenced in. I have trouble imaging how they operated. I had never really thought about cattle in the open range before. I guess I thought that just bison were roaming free, but never cattle. The lives lived by cowboys and cattlemen were tough and grueling, but obviously the cowboys loved what they did.

People adapt to their environment. Webb illustrated his theory throughout his work by using numerous examples. The way of life necessary on the Great Plains was not like any other that the people were used to. They had to make changes, first, in order to survive. Then, they had to adapt so that they could make the best use of the land and be successful.