THE INITIAL SETTLEMENT OF AN AREA by the American pioneers, the local vegetative landscapes were very important. They were frequently given names which, in the early years of occupation, were widely recognized and used. But, as the works of our culture, such as roads, towns, fields, and political units, overspread the land, vegetative landscape features declined in importance as place-designators as they became less conspicuous. In ill.any instances these names have even disappeared entirely

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... m common usage and, when presently utilized, are commonly attached to a feature of the cultural landscape, and thus, have lost their originaJ significance as parts of the physical landscape. The prairie names in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, evidence this linguistic change. Although most of Kalamazoo County was covered by forests when the first American settler arrived, several prairies were also present. These grasslands varied in size from a few hundred to several thousand acres.