The Rocky Mountain region is where east meets west in America, where the western plains meet the Continental Divide. In this region, including Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, a multitude of cultural phenomena have grown. Rockies architecture includes Depression-era Government Rustic designs and also the parkitecture movement evident in Yellowstone National Park. Coyote folk tales and cowboy poetry contribute to regional lore, while the region's religions have ranged from the shamanistic practices of the Utes, Nez Perce, and Coeur d'Alene to the flourishing of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Art of the American Sublime school as well as the fiction of Thomas McGuane immediately locate the Rockies, while fourteeners, ski town culture, and film festivals—from Sundance to Slamdance—make the region a favorite tourist destination. Rick Newby and contributors present a thorough and nuanced examination of the many cultural elements from throughout the wide reach of the Rocky Mountain region.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures is the first rigorous reference collection on the many ways in which American identity has been defined by its regions and its people. Each of its eight regional volumes presents thoroughly researched narrative chapters on Architecture; Art; Ecology & Environment; Ethnicity; Fashion; Film & Theater; Folklore; Food; Language; Literature; Music; Religion; and Sports & Recreation. Each book also includes a volume-specific introduction, as well as a series foreword by noted regional scholar and former National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman William Ferris, who served as Consulting Editor for this encyclopedia.
