...right|thumb|240px|The the quintessential symbol of the American Old West, circa 1888.]The American Old West or Wild West comprises the history, geography, peoples, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States (i.e., anywhere west of the Mississippi River), most often referring to the period of the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century. More encompassing and more accurate, however, is the inclusion of the entire 19th century and to the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920.Howard R. Lamar, ed. The Reader's Encyclopedia of the American West, Harper & Row, New York, 1977, p. 871, ISBN 0-06-15726-7 Through treaties with foreign nations and native peoples, political compromise, technological innovation, military conquest, establishment of law and order, and the great migrations of foreigners, the United States expanded from the coast to the coast (Atlantic Ocean-to-Pacific Ocean), fulfilling its belief in Manifest Destiny. In securing and managing the West, the U.S. federal government greatly expanded its powers, as the nation grew from an agrarian society to an industrialized nation. First promoting settlement and exploitation of the land, by the end of the 19th century the federal government became a steward of the remaining open spaces. As the American Old West passed into history, the myths of the West took firm hold in the imagination of Americans and foreigners alike. Read full entry

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