Foundations of Social Studies
HISTORY
PIONEERS
There have been pioneers in every country and culture on Earth. Pioneers are a necessary part of
settling a land. The term pioneer can be used to refer to any of the people in American history that
migrated west to take part in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those
who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by
European or American society.
The figure of the pioneer has played a large role in American culture, literature, and folklore. The
pioneer is not the only symbolic figure in the settlement of the West, though. Much note is also
given to those who ventured west, but did not stay: such as cowboys, mountain men, prospectors,
and miners. However, the pioneer alone represents those who went into unexplored territory in
search of a new life, looking to establish permanent settlement.
History
In 1776, settlement in the United States was confined largely to the far eastern side of the North
American continent. But eventually pioneers moved steadily across the central portion of the
country, and came to a halt at the edge of the “Great American Desert”. This term was used to
describe the grassy plains between the east and the Rocky Mountains. The land being settled before
had been forested or was tall grass prairie. Over time, pioneer settlers braved the plains, crossed
the Rocky Mountains and settled the western portions of our continent.
Many of the pioneers were farmers. Others moved west wanting to establish a business. There were
doctors, blacksmiths, ministers, shop owners, lawyers, veterinarians and many others. They all
followed the routes which had been first used by explorers, trappers and traders, miners and
prospectors. Land in the west was available and often cheap. New immigrants to the United States
could acquire it and establish themselves. Once the territories of the United States had been
settled, the era of the early pioneer ended.
Some Types of Pioneers in the American West
The Cowboy
The first cowboys came from Mexico. They were men who rode on horses and took care of
herds of cattle. They were known as vaqueros which is the Spanish word for "cowboys."
When the vaqueros moved their cattle north into America to graze, American people
watched the vaqueros and began to copy them. With the arrival of railroads and an
increased demand for beef, older traditions combined with the need to drive cattle from the
ranches to the nearest railheads, often hundreds of miles away.
The Mountain Man
A mountain man is a trapper and explorer who live in the wilderness. Mountain men were
most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s.
They were important in opening up the various trails allowing Americans in the east to settle
the new territories of the west. Wagon trains traveled over roads that were explored and
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physically improved by the mountain men and the big fur companies. These trails originally
served as their routes for inland fur trading.
The Prospector and Miner
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, or precious metals. In the United
States and Canada prospectors were lured by the promise of gold, silver, and other precious
minerals. They travelled across the mountains of the American West, carrying picks, shovels
and gold pans. The majority of early prospectors had no training and relied mainly on luck to
discover deposits. In all cases, the gold rush was sparked by idle prospecting for gold and
minerals which, when the prospector was successful, generated 'gold fever' and saw a wave
of prospectors comb the countryside. The federal government passed many mining acts to
encourage mining of federal lands and develop the US economy. Mining camps formed the
first “cities” of the West.
The Settler
Unlike many of the cowboys, mountain men, and prospectors the settlers moved into the
Western United States and stayed. They opened the land to farming, dairying, and ranching.
Settlers opened businesses, churches, and established the first schools. The earlier pioneers
may have “blazed the trails” but it was the settler who built the towns. Another way that
settlers were different was that they often moved west as families. The earlier pioneers had
usually been single men.
Challenges of Coming West
For many people, the West seemed to hold the promise of unlimited possibilities. It gave a chance
to live an independent life, far from the crowded cities, factories and challenges of the East. For
many people, a life in the wide-open landscape of the West seemed the very definition of freedom,
even if it was a life that also had many hardships.
People left their families and friends, and many knew it would be a long time, if ever, before they
saw them again. The trip was a long, hard and dangerous one. The trail was sometimes rough and
often waterless. Raging rivers had to be crossed. All of this was done with horses, oxen or mules
pulling all of their earthly belongings and supplies. The Native Americans could also be a threat.
They were angry these new settlers were moving onto tribal lands.
Disease proved to be the biggest killer of emigrants in the West. Smallpox, cholera, tuberculosis,
diphtheria, typhoid, "mountain fever," and a host of other sicknesses frequently struck down
settlers, who had little or no medical expertise. Scurvy, caused by a lack of fresh fruits and
vegetables for months at a time, was also commonplace.
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