The American wilderness has long been a battleground for the symbolic struggle between classicists, who advocate progress and industry, and romantics, who advocate respect and appreciation for nature. Although it would seem that the romantic intentions were in the interest of the environment, in reality both ideas were in the self-interest of man. These seemingly opposing views have their roots in the same motivation, the need for humans to control the environment. They would eventually come together to create the Adirondack park's tourism industry. This industry would become a double-edged sword, protecting parts of the wilderness from total destruction, but simultaneously subjecting them to a slow process of development. It was only with the agricultural revolution that humanity developed the concept of wilderness. When they began to cultivate the land they began to realize the differences it had compared to the land that remained uncontaminated. (Short 2005:5) The wilderness was no longer their home and, except for the occasional hunt, it was no longer a source of food. The wilderness had ceased to have any necessary function. Now it was a completely separate world. That distinction between wilderness and civilization was perfectly captured in Thomas Cole's View from Mount Holyoke. (Fig.1) This understanding would manifest itself in two different points of view. The first vision was to now perceive the wild nature as a place of danger and the unknown. It was a place to be feared and avoided. The second vision was that of a place of nostalgic memory. Humanity now found itself in an agricultural world, tied to the land and bound by the constraints of civilization. For some, wilderness was a reminder of a lost way of life that consisted of leisure, freedom... middle of paper... child of the Aesthetic." The New York Times. September 9 (2001) Johnson, Kirk. "Painting Pictures of a Perfect Vacation: A Vision of Lake George as a Tourist Spot." The New York Times. Marx, Leone. Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America Press, 1967. Nash, Roderick. “The American Invention of National Parks.” American Quarterly Vol. 22, No. 3 (1970):726-735 .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 Nature and People in the Adirondacks. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press , 1997.Wilton, Andrew. American Lime: Landscape Painting in the United States. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.