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 While completing research for THE FRONTIER HOUSE, we have pieced together diaries, letters, newspaper articles, and official documents to give us a window into the day-to-day lives of settlers who actually lived on the American frontier. Their stories of adventure, endurance, humor, and determination are the basis of this ever-changing series of essays. |
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The Homestead Act, passed by Congress on May 20, 1862, declared that any citizen of the United States could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. More ...
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600 lbs. flour,
300 meat,
50 beans,
100 rice,
2 crackers,
300 bacon,
200 ham,
50 dry beef,
50 cheese,
50 butter,
400 sugar,
20 gallons syrup,
50 lbs black tea ... More ...
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Once on the road, emigrants could expect to travel 12 to 20 miles a day, under the best conditions. More ...
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Homesteaders frequently waited several weeks, or even months, after their arrival on the frontier to put up this semi-permanent housing. More ...
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Because of the scarcity of water, homesteaders conserved it (and recycled it) in ways that would be unthinkable to most 21st-century Americans. More ...
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The bulk of homesteaders' diets were harvested from their claim or gathered from the wilderness that surrounded them. More ...
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While the U.S. was well on its way to the twentieth century, an entire civilization was passing out of existence in the American West. More ...
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It is generally agreed that, at the turn of the nineteenth century, more than 60 million bison roamed the plains and prairies of the American West. More ...
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The major impediment to recreation and leisure time on the frontier was, of course, the amount of work that had to be done to sustain day-to-day existence. More ...
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Westward expansion and the Homestead Act had a profound impact on American education. More ...
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The completion of the Northern Pacific was nothing short of a miracle to eager Montanans. More ...
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The "wild" West, the West of covered wagons, pioneers, cowboys, and Indians, faded into memory, myth, and legend. More ...
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