The development of the Western Frontier was extremely beneficial to the citizens of the United States. Railroad developments, western settlements, and irrigated land helped to create a strengthened idea of progress in the minds of Americans.
Railroads were immensely valuable to the American society of this time. The railroad was the only way to transport goods to the far west. It facilitated the quick transportation of raw materials as well as finished goods from coast to coast. Trade with China became much easier; ships could travel straight to California and then the goods could be transported across the United States. Families that wanted to move west now had an easier, safer way of travel. Railroads carried people, therefore contributing to the development of the West. Railroads helped shape and grow cities and towns. The railroad grew in power and size, influencing local and state governments.
When the Mormons traveled west in 1847, they were looking for a permanent location for their people to live and grow. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Mormons was that they chose to inhabit an area that no one before them had tried to irrigate (Donald
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The frontiersman was an idealist as well as a materialist. He saw material objects as symbols of advancing civilization and hope of a better future. These people had a coarseness and strength combined with an inventive mind. They had a “masterful grasp of material things and a restless, nervous energy” (Frederick Jackson, 47). These were the traits of the frontier. The belief in progress, both material and intellectual, is part of the modern American creed and was strengthened by the frontier experience. There was very little to attract the, timid, educated, or sensitive to this lifestyle (Frederick Jackson, 47). The Frontier accentuated the spirit of nationalism and individualism in the United