New York businessman David Beston delves into the history of the Great Plains of North America.
West of the Mississippi River tallgrass prairie and east of the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains are known for their fascinating geography and long, rich, and varied past. Passionate about travel and geography, New York-based David Beston delves into the history of the expansive Plains of the interior of North America.
“The history of the Great Plains dates back thousands of years,” says David Beston. “Historically, they were the range of the Sioux, Cheyenne, Crow, Arapaho, and others,” he adds.
Much more recently, the Great Plains, Beston goes on to reveal, have been portioned into ten physiographic subdivisions. “These subdivisions, which include Coteau du Missouri, Colorado Piedmont, and Pecos Valley,” he explains, “were decided by the U.S. Geological Survey – a scientific agency of the United States government.”
Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the U.S. Geological Survey and its scientists predominantly study the nation’s landscape and its natural resources. “Their work,” adds David Beston, speaking from his home in New York City, “covers biology, geography, geology, and more.”
While it’s unclear precisely when the term ‘Great Plains’ first came into use, in total, the region covers the entirety of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, plus parts of another ten states, according to David Beston. “The Plains also cover parts of the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan,” adds the expert.
Today, North America’s Great Plains are best known for their extensive dryland farming and cattle ranching, David Beston reports.
David Beston’s interest in North America’s Great Plains and, indeed, the beautiful terrain of the American West beyond, dates back to childhood. “Growing up, we’d take frequent family vacations to the region,” New Yorker Beston explains. “Among my fondest memories from growing up, in fact, is taking trips with my parents and siblings out West,” adds the certified financial planner and businessman.
Always inquisitive, a young David soon became captivated by the varied terrain on offer—ranging from valleys, basins, and vast grassy plateaus to tallgrass prairies and temperate rainforests—and, even now, decades on, remains fascinated by the subject, he says. “Once I began to learn more, I was hooked,” reveals Beston. “And the rest, as they say,” he adds, “is history.”
Boasting a lifelong passion for travel, both domestic and international, David Beston has enjoyed vacations in destinations across the U.S. and as far afield as Asia. Recently swapping financial services for a new career in business, certified financial planner David Beston completed more than a decade in the field before deciding to pursue an exciting new path. Further to his work, and beyond his love of travel, in his free time, David Beston enjoys reading, movies, cycling, and spending time with his wife and daughter at the family’s home in New York City.
