Pioneer & Frontier Life

In American history, a pioneer is any of the people who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas, especially those who settled any territory previously unsettled or undeveloped by European or American society. Though most of us think of pioneers strictly in terms of those who came to the "West", the earliest pioneers settled areas now considered the "East".

The first westward migrations occurred as representatives of the Thirteen Colonies sought to open up new lands for their respective colonies westward. Those whose original royal charters did not specify a western limit simply extended their lands directly and indefinitely westward. After the United States was formed upon the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, federal coordination and legislation began to give settlement a more unified approach.

As western settlement grew, common details emerged. Most pioneers traveled in wagon trains, groups of wagons containing settlers and their families. They banded together for common defense and to combine their efforts. Pioneers in the East often had to clear the land, owing to lush forests there. In the Midwest, the task was to bring agricultural fertility to the Great Plains.

The figure of the pioneer has played a large role in American culture and literature. While much cultural note is also given to other figures of a more transient nature, such as cowboys, trappers prospectors, miners, etc., the pioneer alone represents those who went into unexplored territory in search of a new life, looking to establish permanent settlement.

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ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
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$10.95
Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
from Rabbit Room Press
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Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
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Bad News for Outlaws
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
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Bears of Blue River
by Charles Major
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Bound for Oregon
by Jean Van Leeuwen
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
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By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1940 Newbery Honor Book
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
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1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caleb's Story
by Patricia MacLachlan
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Captive Treasure
by Milly Howard
from Bob Jones University Press
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Carolina's Courage
by Elizabeth Yates
from Bob Jones University Press
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Children of the Covered Wagon
by Mary Jane Carr
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade
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Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
Historical Reference for 3rd-5th Grade
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$9.99
Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
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Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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$12.95
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
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First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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First Four Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Frontier Living
by Edwin Tunis
from Lyons Press
Historical Reference for 7th-10th grade
Newbery Honor Book 1962
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$19.95
Gathering of Days
by Joan Blos
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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1980 Newbery Medal winner
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$8.99
Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen
from Puffin Books
Historical fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Grandfather's Dance
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
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Hattie Big Sky
by Kirby Larson
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$8.99
Josefina Story Quilt
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
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Laura Ingalls Wilder
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.99
Laura Ingalls Wilder Country
by William Anderson
from HarperCollins
Literature Resource for 4th-8th grade
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$24.95
Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography
by William Anderson
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Lewis & Clark Expedition - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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$4.99
Little House - Softcover Boxed Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$79.91
Little House Coloring Book
Clr Csm from HarperCollins
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$18.99
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$17.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$19.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
Little Town on the Prairie - Audio CD
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$25.99
Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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More Perfect Than the Moon
by Patricia MacLachlan
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Mountain Men: The History of Fur Trapping - Coloring Book
by Jeff Prechtel
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Museum of Early American Tools
by Eric Sloane
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$11.95
My Book of Little House Paper Dolls
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$12.99
My Little House Crafts Book
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Arts and Crafts for 3rd-6th grade
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Old Town in the Green Groves
by Cynthia Rylant
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$9.99
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
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Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
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Old-Fashioned Farm Life - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
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On the Banks of Plum Creek
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1938 Newbery Honor Book
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On the Banks of Plum Creek
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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1938 Newbery Honor Book
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On the Way Home
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Oregon Trail
Penguin Classics
by Francis Parkman Jr.
from Penguin Classics
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Oregon Trail
by Rinker Buck
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Oregon Trail #01
Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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Oregon Trail #04
Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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Oregon Trail #06
Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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$7.99
Oregon Trail #07
Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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Oregon Trail #08
Choose Your Own Trail!
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Oregon Trail #1-4 - Boxed Set
Choose Your Own Trail!
by Jesse Wiley
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for 3rd-6th grade
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$31.00
Our Only May Amelia
by Jennifer L. Holm
from HarperCollins
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Pioneer Sampler
by Barbara Greenwood
from Houghton Mifflin
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$15.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Prairie School
An I Can Read Book Level 4
by Avi
from HarperCollins
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$4.99
Ranch of the Golden Flowers
by Constance Lindsay Skinner
from Bethlehem Books
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$15.95
Reverence for Wood
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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$12.95
Sallie Fox
by Dorothy Kupcha Leland
1st edition from Tomato Enterprises
for 4th-6th grade
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$9.95
Sarah Whitcher's Story
by Elizabeth Yates
from Bob Jones University Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.99
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
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Seasons of America Past
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$17.95
Secret School
by Avi
from Sandpiper Books
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Skylark
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
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Stories of Young Pioneers
by Violet T. Kimball
from Mountain Press
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-11th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$14.00
Strawberry Girl
by Lois Lenski
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade
1946 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
These Happy Golden Years
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
These Happy Golden Years
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
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$19.99
These Happy Golden Years - Audio CD
Little House Series #8
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1944 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.95
They Loved to Laugh
by Kathryn Worth
from Bethlehem Books
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Three Names
by Patricia MacLachlan
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Trouble for Lucy
by Carla Stevens
from Clarion Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-5th grade
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Tucket's Travels
by Gary Paulsen
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$9.99
Wagon Wheels
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Barbara Brenner
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Western Pioneers - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
What Was the Gold Rush?
by Joan Holub
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What You Know First
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
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Where the Broken Heart Still Beats
by Carolyn Meyer
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White Seneca
by William W. Canfield
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Who Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?
by Patricia Brennan Demuth
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With Open Hands
by Jeri Chase Ferris
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$12.95
World of Little House
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Literature Resource for 4th-8th grade
in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$29.99
Young Pioneers
by Rose Wilder Lane
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-5th grade
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$8.99