The American West in 1900: The End of the Frontier

The closing of the American frontier in 1890 marked the end of one of the most dramatic eras in U.S. history, an era that had seen the expansion of European settler colonies into vast wildernesses, the collision of cultures, and the transformation of landscapes and societies. In this chapter, the gradual fade of the frontier into history is explored, emphasizing the multiple forces that contributed to its close by the dawn of the 20th century. The American West, once a vast, seemingly endle...