Gravy Train stops

The 'closing' of the American Frontier is sudden, and somewhat unexpected. But it doesn't go unnoticed. Rather, it generates a widely influential theory promoting a new 'Frontier Thesis' to explain American history.

The theory suggests that the distinctive character of America wasn't forged in the East, by Pilgrims. Rather, the real story unfolds in the West, which beckons with alluring dreams of a new start and (perhaps) sudden wealth.

The extraction of gold and silver, which begins with the Gold Rush of 1849, is the final chapter in this long saga. By 1910, the mines are largely played out, leaving just ranches and the remaining sun-scorched expanses.
Frontier closes, 1910 map

  End of a Long Era
The 'Frontier Thesis' is different from previous portrayals of American growth. It casts American history as a great pageant, which pits eastern forces (which seek to control) against western forces (which always strive for freedom). A simpler explanation is that seemingly limitless cheap land, and railroads access, gave choices to Americans that few others in history ever enjoyed.

Western farmers, 1910

  Just Getting By
Prairie farming is difficult in the best of conditions, and grimly disheartening at other times. Irrigation can ease the burden, but keeping the ditches repaired and the water flowing is a constant chore. Still, farmers manage to get by, in a lonely life where the sudden energy of the harvest is only a brief interruption. The rest of the time, settlers have little company beyond the relentless wind, and tormenting visions of perhaps having to finally chuck it all in, defeated by a hostile environment.


Mining towns, 1910

  Getting There
Here you can see why so many western mining towns are eventually abandoned. They're just too far from anything else. Today, ski resorts like Aspen, in Colorado, have reclaimed some of these locations.