Life in the Old West

Examines various aspects of life on cattle ranches in the nineteenth century, describing the reasons for becoming a rancher or a cowboy, the hard work involved, food and living arrangements, and more.

Describes the lives and experiences of women in the nineteenth-century American west, including immigrants, African Americans, and Native Americans.

Discusses the reasons people migrated West, the routes they took, some of the difficulties faced by pioneers, the different ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the settlers, and the building of homes and towns.

Describes the life and work of cowboys, including the roundup, branding, bronco busting, and driving cattle hundreds of miles along cattle trails.

Describes how pioneers set out across the United States and Canada in the nineteenth century looking for a better life in the West--the routes they took, the covered wagons they used, what they ate, the dangers they faced, and more.