The American Frontier began with the first days of European settlement on the Atlantic coast and the eastern rivers. From the start, the “Frontier” was most often categorized as the western edge of settlement.

American historians cover multiple frontiers but our website is focused primarily on the mid 1800s to the early 1900s west of the Mississippi River.

As settlers poured in, the frontier districts first became territories, with an elected legislature and a governor appointed by the president. Then when population reached 100,000 the territory applied for statehood.