Western Development

From the 1840s to the 1890s the Western land beyond the Mississippi had been shaping and developing over time. Aspects in the natural environment such as the land and climate played a major part and were substantial in shaping the West beyond the Mississippi and the lives of the people who lived and settled there. Other factors such as Manifest Destiny, agriculture, the myth of the frontier, mining, and the railroads assisted in this development because they all affected the west in negative and positive ways. These other factors were just as important are the affect of the natural environment. One can see the numerous factors that affected the West through the numerous documents.

The natural environment was extremely important in shaping the development of the West and the lives of those who lived and settled there. It played a significant role. The land and climate affected the way the area prospered and developed and how the people survived living there. There were droughts, bad land and lack of resources. The West had very dry and arid terrain. Document A illustrates the geographical aspects of the West. The area west of the Mississippi had mostly mountains, desert. These aspects were terrible for the people who lived and settled there. The early settlers of the west encountered tremendous extremes in landform and climate. After crossing the Mississippi the Midwest produced a mix of rolling hills and grasslands. The people experienced scorching summers and extremely cold winters. They also experienced extreme periods of heat and drought. The lacks of trees in the areas throughout the plains were an advantage in terms of farming, but was a missed resource in terms of building dwellings for protection. Several major rivers were barriers for travel, and setters and horses were forced to cross them, often at the expense of their lives. Further into the west in the Rocky Mountains, there were new dangers for the settlers. Many of them died because of starvation, cold and illness.