Charles Dana Wilber facts for kids

Charles Dana Wilber (born July 4, 1830, in Auburn, Ohio – died December 20, 1891, in Aurora, Illinois) was an important person in the history of the American West. He was a writer, a journalist, and someone who helped encourage people to move west and start farms. He even founded a town called Wilber, Nebraska in 1873.

Charles Dana Wilber: Pioneer of the American West

Early Life and Career

Charles Dana Wilber was born in Ohio in 1830. As he grew up, he became very interested in the idea of developing the western parts of the United States. He worked as a journalist, writing about his ideas. He also became an author, publishing books that shared his vision for the West. He was known as a "booster" because he strongly promoted the idea of people moving to the West to farm.

"Rain Follows the Plow" Idea

Wilber is most famous for a phrase he used: "Rain follows the plow." This idea suggested that if farmers plowed the land in dry areas, it would somehow cause more rain to fall. He wasn't the first to think of this, but he helped make the phrase very popular. Other scientists, like Cyrus Thomas from the United States Geological Survey, had similar ideas before him.

What Does "Rain Follows the Plow" Mean?

Wilber believed that farming itself could change the weather. He thought that when farmers turned over the dry prairie land and planted crops, it would make the air cooler and more humid. This change, he argued, would then lead to more rain. He wrote about this in his main book, The Great Valleys and Prairies of Nebraska and the Northwest, published in 1881.

He imagined a huge group of farmers, stretching for miles, all plowing the land at the same time. He believed that if they replaced the dry, hard ground with green, growing crops, it would cool the air. This cooling, he thought, would cause moisture in the air to turn into rain. For him, farming was the key to turning dry lands into fertile gardens.

Building a New Town

In 1873, Charles Dana Wilber helped establish a new town in Nebraska. He named it Wilber, Nebraska, after himself. This shows how dedicated he was to the idea of settling and developing the American West. He wanted to see his vision of a thriving agricultural region come to life.

His Big Idea: Transforming the West

Wilber's main goal was to encourage people to settle in the Trans-Mississippi West. This was the vast area of land west of the Mississippi River. He strongly believed that this region, which was often seen as a desert, could become a rich farming area. His writings and ideas helped shape how many people viewed the future of the American West during his time.