Why were the people who settled the Western Frontier of the USA

With the expansion of American territory into the west, vast areas of land were available for farming, ranching, and development for next to nothing in price, or were even free after the Homestead Act. People always have the need to explore, expand, and just try for a better life somewhere else.

And don't forget, there was gold and silver in them hills! What young man wouldn't at least dream of a chance to escape the boring, settled life back east and head into the frontier to strike it rich?

>>3245711
But why weren't German or Slav immigrants going there?

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>>3245693
wat. the only anglos who moved west were mormons

>>3246020
lol thats a lot of German, were they the US's first case of the Mexicans?

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>>3246175
well those areas are largely rural. compare all the counties on the map that are german to this map on population density and you'll see that its a big expanse of rural territory.

>>3246020
>Basing this off 2010 stats
Haha what a fag

>>3246308
I fucking hate urbanites.

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>>3246020
So where are the Germans?

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>>3247212

they came afterwards, the cowards. the heroic anglo-saxon masculine adventuers, explorers and frontiersmen cleared the way, while the cowardly german weaklings followed.

>>3246006
Maybe a cultural or genetic predisposition.

Should you be surprised that the descendents of pioneers are pioneers? While the descendents of non-pioneer immigrants aren't pioneers?

>>3245693
Because they weren't? There were tons of German and Scandinavian settlers on the frontier.

Also, New England was experiencing an insane population boom during this time, so there was plenty of surplus population.