African American pioneers helped shape the character of the West by participating in all the varied occupations of frontier life.

Jim Beckworth, Trapper and army scout, Historic PhotographThey served in the military as Buffalo Soldiers, trapped, led expeditions, lived with local Indians, rode for the Pony Express or in rodeos, and joined the thousands of families seeking new homes on the Frontier.

Lands east of the Mississippi River were already settled. Cheap or free Federal lands now lay beyond, luring settlers westward. Land promoters, railroads and dime novels popularized the West as a land of adventure and boundless opportunity.

 
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A gold and black Union Pacific poster advertising "The Golden Belt of Kansas" and describing the "condition and resources" available to those who would settle there. It says 700,000 acres were available. Text box: Romanticized tales of adventure captured the public imagination, enticing readers to seek opportunities on the Western frontier. Railroads encouraged western settlement with optimistic posters (such as the one above) to create demand for their services.