Black and white illustration shows a skirmish between an American Indian and white men. Drawing shows an American Indian in the Old West. Vintage black and white picture shows adventure life in the previous century.

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The American frontier, also known as the Old West, popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial settlements in the early 17th century and ended with the admission of the last few western territories as states in 1912 (except Alaska, which was not admitted into the Union until 1959). This era of massive migration and settlement was particularly encouraged by President Thomas Jefferson following the Louisiana Purchase, giving rise to the expansionist attitude known as "Manifest Destiny" and the historians' "Frontier Thesis". The legends, historical events and folklore of the American frontier have embedded themselves into United States culture so much so that the Old West, and the Western genre of media specifically, has become one of the defining periods of American national identity.

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Size: 6242px × 3936px
Location: WORLDWIDE
Photo credit: © Roman Nerud / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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