While Hollywood often paints a romantic picture of saloon shoot-outs and heroism, the actual history was far more complex [23]. The development of the West was driven by:
The Homestead Act transferred over 270 million acres of public land into private hands for farming and ranching [10]. Western
The transcontinental railroad was the single greatest contributor to development, opening the region to world markets and even standardizing time zones [10]. While Hollywood often paints a romantic picture of