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41. Western Folkways

The mining camps, the cattle drives, farm life on the plains, the rise of populism, and the election of 1896.

41. Western Folkways

The Photography Collection of A.E. SheldonDaniel Freeman, the first homesteader in United States, staked his claim on January 1, 1863. When the Native American…

41a. The Mining Boom

Wells-FargoGold Miners in California Bonanza Bonanza! That was the exclamation when a large vein of valuable ore was discovered. Thousands of optimistic Americ…

41b. The Ways of the Cowboy

Courtesy of Grant-Kohrs National Historic SiteFor a dollar a day and "found" (board and room, where it existed), a young man worked long hours--occasionally ri…

41c. Life on the Farm

This little house on the prairie is constructed of sod walls and a dirt roof. It is one of the few pioneer dwellings still standing in the Badlands today. A ho…

41d. The Growth of Populism

The Grange borrowed heavily from the Freemasons, employing complex rituals and regalia. Organization was inevitable. Like the oppressed laboring classes of the…

41e. The Election of 1896

Chicago Record, 1896"A great exhibition, but rather trying on the man in the middle." William Jennings Bryan is shown pulled in two directions as he campaigns…