the passing of the frontier-第1节

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The　Passing　of　the　Frontier；　A　Chronicle　of　the　Old　West

by　Emerson　Hough







CONTENTS


I。　THE　FRONTIER　IN　HISTORY
II。　THE　RANGE
III。　THE　CATTLE　TRAILS
IV。　THE　COWBOY
V。　THE　MINES
VI。　PATHWAYS　OF　THE　WEST
VII。　THE　INDIAN　WARS
VIII。　THE　CATTLE　KINGS
IX。　THE　HOMESTEADER
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL　NOTE





THE　PASSING　OF　THE　FRONTIER

Chapter　I。　The　Frontier　In　History

The　frontier！　There　is　no　word　in　the　English　language　more　stirring；　more　intimate；　or　more　beloved。　It　has　in　it　all　the　elan　of　the　old　French　phrase；　En　avant！　It　carries　all　of　the　old　Saxon　command；　Forward！！　It　means　all　that　America　ever　meant。　It　means　the　old　hope　of　a　real　personal　liberty；　and　yet　a　real　human　advance　in　character　and　achievement。　To　a　genuine　American　it　is　the　dearest　word　in　all　the　world。

What　is；　or　was；　the　frontier？　Where　was　it？　Under　what　stars　did　it　lie？　Because；　as　the　vague　Iliads　of　ancient　heroes　or　the　nebulous　records　of　the　savage　gentlemen　of　the　Middle　Ages　make　small　specific　impingement　on　our　consciousness　today；　so　also　even　now　begin　the　tales　of　our　own　old　frontier　to　assume　a　haziness；　an　unreality；　which　makes　them　seem　less　history　than　folklore。　Now　the　truth　is　that　the　American　frontier　of　history　has　many　a　local　habitation　and　many　a　name。　And　this　is　why　it　lies　somewhat　indefinite　under　the　blue　haze　of　the　years；　all　the　more　alluring　for　its　lack　of　definition；　like　some　old　mountain　range；　the　softer　and　more　beautiful　for　its　own　shadows。

The　fascination　of　the　frontier　is　and　has　ever　been　an　undying　thing。　Adventure　is　the　meat　of　the　strong　men　who　have　built　the　world　for　those　more　timid。　Adventure　and　the　frontier　are　one　and　inseparable。　They　suggest　strength；　courage；　hardihoodqualities　beloved　in　men　since　the　world　beganqualities　which　are　the　very　soul　of　the　United　States；　itself　an　experiment；　an　adventure；　a　risk　accepted。　Take　away　all　our　history　of　political　regimes；　the　story　of　the　rise　and　fall　of　this　or　that　partisan　aggregation　in　our　government；　take　away　our　somewhat　inglorious　military　past；　but　leave　us　forever　the　tradition　of　the　American　frontier！　There　lies　our　comfort　and　our　pride。　There　we　never　have　failed。　There；　indeed；　we　always　realized　our　ambitions。　There；　indeed；　we　were　efficient；　before　that　hateful　phrase　was　known。　There　we　were　a　melting…pot　for　character；　before　we　came　to　know　that　odious　appellation　which　classifies　us　as　the　melting…pot　of　the　nations。

The　frontier　was　the　place　and　the　time　of　the　strong　man；　of　the　self…sufficient　but　restless　individual。　It　was　the　home　of　the　rebel；　the　protestant；　the　unreconciled；　the　intolerant；　the　ardentand　the　resolute。　It　was　not　the　conservative　and　tender　man　who　made　our　history；　it　was　the　man　sometimes　illiterate；　oftentimes　uncultured；　the　man　of　coarse　garb　and　rude　weapons。　But　the　frontiersmen　were　the　true　dreamers　of　the　nation。　They　really　were　the　possessors　of　a　national　vision。　Not　statesmen　but　riflemen　and　riders　made　America。　The　noblest　conclusions　of　American　history　still　rest　upon　premises　which　they　laid。

But；　in　its　broadest　significance；　the　frontier　knows　no　country。　It　lies　also　in　other　lands　and　in　other　times　than　our　own。　When　and　what　was　the　Great　Frontier？　We　need　go　back　only　to　the　time　of　Drake　and　the　sea…dogs；　the　Elizabethan　Age；　when　all　North　America　was　a　frontier；　almost　wholly　unknown；　compellingly　alluring　to　all　bold　men。　That　was　the　day　of　new　stirrings　in　the　human　heart。　Some　strange　impulse　seemed　to　act　upon　the　soul　of　the　braver　and　bolder　Europeans；　and　they　moved　westward；　nor　could　have　helped　that　had　they　tried。　They　lived　largely　and　blithely；　and　died　handsomely；　those　old　Elizabethan　adventurers；　and　they　lie　today　in　thousands　of　unrecorded　graves　upon　two　continents；　each　having　found　out　that　any　place　is　good　enough　for　a　man　to　die　upon；　provided　that　he　be　a　man。

The　American　frontier　was　Elizabethan　in　its　qualitychildlike；　simple；　and　savage。　It　has　not　entirely　passed；　for　both　Elizabethan　folk　and　Elizabethan　customs　are　yet　to　be　found　in　the　United　States。　While　the　half…savage　civilization　of　the　farther　West　was　roaring　on　its　way　across　the　continentwhile　the　day　of　the　keelboatman　and　the　plainsman；　of　the　Indian…fighter　and　the　miner；　even　the　day　of　the　cowboy；　was　dawning　and　settingthere　still　was　a　frontier　left　far　behind　in　the　East；　near　the　top　of　the　mountain　range　which　made　the　first　great　barrier　across　our　pathway　to　the　West。　That　frontier；　the　frontier　of　Boone　and　Kenton；　of　Robertson　and　Sevier；　still　exists　and　may　be　seen　in　the　Cumberlandthe　only　remaining　part　of　America　which　is　all　American。　There　we　may　find　trace　of　the　Elizabethan　Ageidioms　lost　from　English　literature　and　American　speech　long　ago。　There　we　may　see　the　American　home　life　as　it　went　on　more　than　a　hundred　years　ago。　We　may　see　hanging　on　the　wall　the　long　muzzle…loading　rifle　of　an　earlier　day。　We　may　see　the　spinning…wheel　and　the　loom。　The　women　still　make　in　part　the　clothing　for　their　families；　and　the　men　still　make　their　own　household　furniture；　their　own　farming　implements；　their　own　boots。

This　overhanging　frontier　of　America　is　a　true　survival　of　the　days　of　Drake　as　well　as　of　the　days　of　Boone。　The　people　are　at　once　godly　and　savage。　They　breed　freely；　they　love　their　homes；　they　are　ever　ready　for　adventure；　they　are　frugal；　abstemious；　but　violent　and　strong。　They　carry　on　still　the　half…religious　blood　feuds　of　the　old　Scotch　Highlands　or　the　North　of　Ireland；　whence　they　came。　They　reverence　good　women。　They　care　little　for　material　accumulations。　They　believe　in　personal　ease　and　personal　independence。　With　them　life　goes　on　not　in　the　slow　monotony　of　reiterated　performance；　but　in　ragged　profile；　with　large　exertions　followed　by　large　repose。　Now　that　has　been　the　fashion　of　the　frontier　in　every　age　and　every　land　of　all　the　world。　And　so；　by　studying　these　people；　we　may　even　yet　arrive　at　a　just　and　comprehensive　notion　of　what　we　might　call　the　〃feel〃　of　the　old　frontier。

There　exists；　too；　yet　another　Saxon　frontier　in　a　far…off　portion　of　the　world。　In　that　strange　country；　Australia；　tremendous　unknown　regions　still　remain；　and　the　wild　pastoral　life　of　such　regions　bids　fair　to　exist　yet　for　many　years。　A　cattle　king　of　Queensland　held　at　one　time　sixty　thousand　square　miles　of　land。　It　is　said　that　the　average　size　of　pastoral　holdings　in　the　northern　territory　of　Australia　is　two　hundred　and　seventy…five　thousand　acres。　Does　this　not　recall　the　old　times　of　free　range　in　the　American　West？

This　strange　antipodal　civilization　also　retains　a　curious　flavor　of　Elizabethan　ideas。　It　does　not　plan　for　inordinate　fortunes；　the　continual　amassing　of　money；　but　it　does　deliberately　plan　for　the　use　by　the　individual　of　his　individual　life。　Australian　business　hours　are　shorter　than　American。　Routine　is　less　general。　The　individual　takes　upon　himself　a　smaller　load　of　effort。　He　is　restive　under　monotony。　He　sets　aside　a　great　part　of　his　life　for　sport。　He　lives　in　a　large　and　young　day　of　the　world。　Here　we　may　see　a　remote　picture　of　our　own　American　Westbetter；　as　it　seems　to　me；　than　that　reflected　in　the　rapid　and　wholly　commercialized　development　of　Western　Canada；　which　is　not　flavored　by　any　age　but　this。

But　much　of　the　frontier　of　Australia　is　occupied　by　men　of　means　who　had　behind　them　government　aid　and　a　semi…paternal　encouragement　in　their　adventures。　The　same　is　true　in　part　of　the　government…fostered　settlement　of　Western　Canada。　It　was　not　so　with　the　American　West。　Here　was　not　the　place　of　the　rich　man　but　of　the　poor　man；　and　he　had　no　one　to　aid　him　or　encourage　him。　Perhaps　no　man　ever　understood　the　American　West　who　did　not　himself　go　there　and　make　his　living　in　that　country；　as　did　the　men　who　found　it　and　held　it　first。　Each　life　on　our　old　frontier　was　a　personal　adventure。　The　individual　had　no　government　behind　him　and　he　lacked　even　the　protection　of　any　law。

Our　frontier　crawled　west　from　the　first　seaport　settlements；　afoot；　on　horseback；　in　barges；　or　with　slow　wagon…trains。　It　crawled　across　the　Alleghanies；　down　the　great　river　valleys　and　up　them　yet　again；　and　at　last；　in　days　of　new　transportation；　it　leaped　across　divides；　from　one　river　valley　to　another。　Its　history；　at　first　so　halting；　came　to　be　very　swiftso　swift　that　it　worked　great　elisions　in　its　own　story。

In　our　own　day；　however；　the　Old　West　generally　means　the　old　cow　country　of　the　Westthe　high　plains　and　the　lower　foothills　running　from　the　Rio　Grande　to　the　northern　boundary。　The　still　more　ancient　cattle…range　of　the　lower　Pacific　Slope　will　never　come　into　acceptance　as　the　Old　West。　Always；　when　we　use　these　words；　we　think　of　buffalo　plains　and　of　Indians；　and　of　their　passing　before　the　footmen　and　riders　who　carried　the　phantom　flag　of　Drake　and　the　Virgin　Queen　from　the　Appalachians　to　the　Rockiesbefore　the　men　who　eventually　made　good　that　glorious　and　vaunting　vision　of　the　Virginia　cavaliers；　whose　party　turned　back　from　the　Rockfish　Gap　after　laying　claim　in　the　name　of　King　George　on　all　the　country　lying　west　of　them；　as　far　as　the　South