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Frontier life: everything you wanted to know

Frontier life: everything you wanted to know

Karen Jones unpacks the myths and realities of 19th-century American frontier life – from the Oregon trail to barbed wire and bison

Elinor Evans

Published: August 10, 2025 at 9:00 AM

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What was life like on the frontier in 19th-century America? Forget Hollywood’s high-noon shootouts and lawless swaggering cowboys – historian Karen Jones paints a far more complex picture of the American frontier. Speaking to Elinor Evans, she helps us look past the myths to find more diversity and humanity in the stories of those who travelled westward in the 19th century to forge new lives.

Authors

Elinor EvansHead of digital (web and video)

Elinor Evans is head of digital (web and video)

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