The American wilderness has long been a battleground for the symbolic struggle between the classicists, who advocated progress and industry, and the romantics, who advocated respect and appreciation of nature. Although it would seem that the romantic intentions were in the best interest of the environment, in reality both ideas were in the man's self-interest. These seemingly opposing views have their roots in the same motivation, namely the need for man to control the environment. They would eventually come together to create the Adirondack Park tourism industry. This industry would become a double-edged sword, protecting parts of the wilderness from outright destruction while simultaneously subjecting it to a slow process of development. It was only with the agricultural revolution that humanity developed the concept of wilderness. As they began to cultivate the land, they began to realize the differences it had from the land that had remained untouched. (Court 2005: 5) The wilderness was no longer their home and, except for occasional hunting, it was no longer a source of food. The desert had lost all necessary function. It was now a world entirely apart. This distinction between wilderness and civilization was perfectly expressed in Thomas Cole's View from Mount Holyoke. (Fig.1) This understanding would manifest itself from two different points of view. The first vision was now to perceive the wilderness as a place of danger and the unknown. It was a place to be feared and avoided. The second vision was that of a nostalgic place of memory. Humanity now lives in an agricultural world, linked to the land and subject to the constraints of civilization. Wilderness was for some the memory of a lost way of life that consisted of leisure, freedom... middle of paper ... son Aesthetics. The New York Times. September 9 (2001)Johnson, Kirk. “Painting the Perfect Vacation Pictures: A Vision of Lake George as a Tourist Spot.” » The New York Times. July 19 (2001)Marx, Leo. Machine in the garden: technology and pastoral ideal in America. Cary: Oxford University Press, 1967. Nash, Roderick. “The American Invention of National Parks.” American Quarterly Vol. 22, No. 3 (1970): 726-735. Anyway, John. Imagined country. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2005. Terrie, Phillip G. Forever Wild: A Cultural History of Wilderness in the Adirondacks. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1994. Terrie, Phillip G. Contested Terrain: A New History of the Nature and People of the Adirondacks. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1997. Wilton, Andrew. American Sublime: Landscape painting in the United States. Princeton: Princton University Press, 2002.