Westward Expansion Almanac | Technology and the Making of the West

• Canals
• The stagecoach
• Black Bart
• Railroads
• Mary Fields
• Guns
• The Pony Express
• The telegraph
• Barbed wire
• The Barbed-Wire Industry
• Conclusion
• For More Information

Moving west took daring and courage. People risked their lives to open the West to commerce and settlement, braving harsh climatic and geologic conditions to cross the country and secure the land. Technology helped ease some of the strain and, in some cases, ensured success. Canals, stagecoaches, and railroads made it possible for thousands of people to settle the...