Western Frontier
Since colonial times, Americans have been lured by the promise of the frontier, the
edge of settled land beyond which lay the "wild, untamed" American West. As
Americans began to settle new lands acquired as the U.S. expanded, the frontier line was
pushed westward. But the great westward migration temporarily stopped at the eastern
edge of the Great Plains. Settlers hesitated to move to the Great Plains. There were
several reasons for this. Since the Great Plains had less rainfall than the East, many
thought that the area was too dry for settlement. Americans also hesitated to enter the
Great Plains because of the hostile Native American tribes that lived there.
But attitudes about the West began to change during the mid-1800s. Miners, attracted
by the discovery of gold and silver, moved westward. Other settlers found excellent
grazing lands for cattle on the Great Plains. Other people realized that the land was
suitable for growing certain crops like wheat. Thus settlers began to move westward.
The Native Americans who lived in the region opposed this invasion of their lands.
Some attacked towns, farms, mining camps and wagon trains. Settlers demanded that the
U.S. government put an end to these hostilities. To do this, the U.S. assigned each tribe a
specific section of land, called a reservation, to live on. Areas outside these reservations
would be open to white travel and settlement.
Many Native Americans objected to this reservation system. It meant that they would
be forced to live in a strange place and no longer be able to continue their traditional
ways. Anger over the reservation system was strong. However, by the late 1860s, most
Native Americans had moved onto their assigned lands, although some had to be forced.
Soon, however, white settlers began to trespass upon these lands also. Fighting broke
out again. A few tribes had their moments of victory. Sioux and Cheyenne warriors, for
example, won a great victory in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. But most of
their efforts were in vain. With their crushing defeat in the Battle of Wounded Knee in
1890, organized Native American military resistance finally came to an end.
Even after the end of hostilities, life in the West was difficult. Many miners failed to
"strike it rich." Cattle ranchers suffered huge losses when droughts or blizzards wiped
out much of their herds. Farmers had multiple problems. Plant-eating insects or droughts
often destroyed their crops. Farmers sometimes produced more than the markets wished
to buy, which caused crop prices to fall. Farmers also felt victimized by railroad
companies that overcharged to ship farm produce.
Western farmers sought government assistance in coping with their problems. They
were involved in the formation of the Populist Party. Populist members of Congress
accomplished some goals of farmers. For instance, the passage of the Interstate
Commerce Act (1887) gave Congress the right to regulate railroads that crossed state
boundaries.
Despite the difficulties of Western life, many Americans continued to see the West as a
land of opportunity. Miners, ranchers, and farmers continued to settle the Western
frontier and the amount of wild, unsettled land began to diminish. By 1890 the U.S. no
longer had large areas of unsettled land. The American frontier had passed into history.