The End of the Wild West: A Historical Perspective
The period known as the Wild West, often romanticized in literature and media, has its origins and end largely shaped by historical events and interpretations. Generally, 1895 is considered the end of the Wild West era, but certain periods and regions experienced the Wild West well beyond this date. Some argue that the Wild West lasted until 1916, particularly in the Southwest of the United States.
Origins and Early Development
The Wild West realistically began well before the 19th century. The initial settlement of the Atlantic coast by Spain in the 1500s and by other European colonizers in the 1600s marked the beginning of territorial expansion and the Westward movement. Conflicts, challenges, and settlement patterns were already in play by the time the first American settlements began to expand westward.
In his multi-volume history, "Winning the West," Theodore Roosevelt emphasized that the themes of the Wild West were present long before the Civil War, particularly in the Southwest. Similarly, James Fenimore Cooper's novels, if set a thousand miles westward, would be recognized as Westerns today.
The Modern Frontier Closing
While the Wild West as it is popularly understood may have officially closed in the early 1900s, the era of Western pioneering and settlement did continue for several years. Many families, like my dad's, continued to live in the West well into the 20th century. Within a 150-mile radius of where I am writing this, a myriad of notable Wild West figures lived, worked, or spent significant time here. These include figures like Lewis Clark, James Bridger, Butch Cassidy, and others who were part of the rich history of the region.
Historical Context: The Frontier Closing
Historians typically discuss the closing of the frontier in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This period, which includes the 1890s when the U.S. census bureau officially declared the closing of the frontier, the creation of new states from unincorporated territories, and the final years of range wars and violent conflicts with indigenous populations, marks the shift from Wild West to more developed regions. However, the Wild West did not stop at a particular time; rather, it became less and less wild as the United States expanded and settled its western territories.
Case Study: My Family's Westward Journey
My great-grandfather, who was deputized to capture cattle rustlers in California in the late 1800s or early 1900s, provides a real-life example of the continued Wild West period. My great-grandfather also met indigenous people who had not been forced into reservations, further exemplifying the existence of pre-reservation Native American life. Interestingly, he arrived in California via a covered wagon, similar to my great-great-grandfather who came west by covered wagon in 1871.
Throughout this period, the idea of a 'wild west' is more of a literary construction than a historical reality. The transition from a Wild West to a more settled and modern western frontier was gradual and subject to ongoing development, population changes, and evolving social structures.