"O Pioneers" by Willa Cather

Until the late eighteenth century, any land located beyond the Alleghany mountains
was believed to be savage, uninhabited land. Thus, it became known as the American
frontier. According to Turner, the definition of frontier means, 'the meeting point
between savagery and civilization and a region of sparse settlement.' 1 With the
overwhelming number of frontiersmen invading this uninhabited land, many myths about
winning the West arose, some containing truth, while others neglecting to tell the truth
about treatment of Indians. Many of these myths referred to them as being the victims of…