Families on the Frontier

Summary

Popular depictions of cowboys and Indians on an open range downplay the complex processes involved in the settlement of the American West. An archaeological study in Bent County, Colorado examines the county as a microcosm of the American West and reveals valuable information about the development of urban communities on the frontier. This paper analyzes documents written by and about families living in the county between 1862 and 1888. Personal journals of settlers and visitors are juxtaposed with regional newspapers and the federal census to evaluate the representations of personal relationships and family ties. How did descriptions of Bent County residents, including Kit Carson and his family, vary between sources? In what ways may the blurring of family ties have worked to promote settlement on the frontier? This paper addresses these questions and considers what the recognition of those same relationships adds to our view of the American West.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Periphery of the Research Project: Tangential Narratives, Side Data, and Interesting Tidbits   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2015

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 385