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
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America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
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Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
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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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Benjamin in the Woods
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by Eleanor Clymer, illustrated by William Russell
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Bound for Oregon
by Jean Van Leeuwen
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Buffalo Bill
by Frank L. Beals, illustrated by Jack Merryweather
1959 Edition from Wheeler Publishing, Inc.
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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
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Newbery Honor Book
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By the Shores of Silver Lake (Pictorial Cover)
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
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1940 Newbery Honor Book
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
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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Cassie's Journey
by Brett Harvey; illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
from Holiday House
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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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Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
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Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
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Christmas on the Prairie
by Joan. Anderson
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$8.00 (2 in stock)
Cobblestone "Laura Ingalls Wilder: Growing Up on the Prairie"
Volume Seven: Number Two
from Cobblestone Publishing
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$1.50 (1 in stock)
Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
Historical Reference for 3rd-5th Grade
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$9.99
Dakota Dugout
by Ann Turner; illustrated by Ronald Himler
from Macmillan
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Daniel Boone
by Daniel Boone
from Applewood Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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Dark and Bloody Ground
by Phyllis R. Fenner, ed.
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-7th grade
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Dear Levi
by Elvira Woodruff
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
American History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$14.95
Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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Diary of an Early American Boy
by Eric Sloane
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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Do's and Don'ts of Yesteryear
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
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Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
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Facing West
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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First Four Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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First Four Years (Pictorial Cover)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
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Flaming Arrows
by William O. Steele, Illustrated by Paul Galdone
1st edition from Harcourt
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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Forts in the Wilderness
by Edith S. McCall
from Children's Press
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Freighters and Pilgrims
Knowledge Keepers Home Library Series 1865
by Charles E. Young and Sarah Raymond Herndon
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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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Gathering of Days
by Joan Blos
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
1980 Newbery Medal winner
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Going to Town
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Going West
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Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Thomas Allen
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Going West
by Martin Waddell, illustratred by Philippe Dupasquier
from Harper & Row
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Going West!
Kalideoscope Kids Book
by Carol A. Johmann, Elizabeth J. Rieth
from Williamson Publishing Company
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Gold Rush Dogs
by Claire Rudolf Murphy, Jane G. Haigh
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Gold Rush Fever
by Barbara Greenwood
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Grandfather's Dance
by Patricia MacLachlan
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Hattie Big Sky
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Heading West
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Hero Tales
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If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
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If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine
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Jericho's Journey
by G. Clifton Wisler
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John James Audubon: Painting America's Wildlife
by Janet Stevenson, illustrated by Robert Boehmer
from Encyclopedia Britannica
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Josefina Story Quilt
An I Can Read Book Level 3
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Joshua's Westward Journal
by Joan Anderson, photography by George Ancona
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Journey West on the Oregon Trail
by Cecile Alyce Nolan
from Rain Dance Publishing
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Kindle Me a Riddle
by Roberta Karim, Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen
from Greenwillow Books
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Kirsten's Cook Book
American Girl
by Jodi Evert
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Last of the Old West
by George Mecklenburg
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Laura
by Donald Zochert
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Laura Ingalls Wilder
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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Laura Ingalls Wilder Country
by William Anderson
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Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography
by William Anderson
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Lewis & Clark Expedition - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
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Little Farm in the Ozarks
Rocky Ridge Years Book 2
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Little House - Hardcover Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$139.11
Little House - Softcover Boxed Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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$79.91
Little House Coloring Book
Clr Csm from HarperCollins
for 4th-Adult
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$18.99
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$18.99
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams
Book Club Edition from Harper & Row
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little House in the Big Woods (Pictorial Cover)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Harper & Row
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$9.00 (5 in stock)
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Rocky Ridge Years Book 1
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
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Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$8.99
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$17.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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
from HarperCollins
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
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.99
Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
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$10.99
Lucretia Ann on the Oregon Trail
by Ruth Gipson Plowhead
from Caxton Press
for 4th-6th grade
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Lucretia Ann on the Oregon Trail
by Ruth Gipson Plowhead
from E.M. Hale and Company
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Martha of California
by James Otis
from A Beka Books
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$4.00 (34 in stock)
More Perfect Than the Moon
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
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$7.99
More Perfect Than the Moon
by Patricia MacLachlan
Fir from Scholastic Reference
for 3rd-6th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
More Perfect Than the Moon
by Patricia MacLachlan
from HarperCollins
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Mountain Men: The History of Fur Trapping - Coloring Book
by Jeff Prechtel
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
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$3.99
Museum of Early American Tools
by Eric Sloane
from Dover Publications
for 5th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$11.95
My Book of Little House Paper Dolls
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperFestival
for 2nd-6th grade
in Little House Materials (Location: LIR-LHM)
$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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$13.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Oh Susannah
by Ruth and Richard Holberg
from Doubleday & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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