American Old West

The American Old West (often referred to as the Old West, Wild West or Far West) comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the period of the later half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century. After the eighteenth century and the push beyond the Appalachian Mountains, the term is generally applied to anywhere west of the Mississippi River in earlier periods and westward from the frontier strip toward the later part of the 18th century. More broadly, the period stretches from the early 19th century to the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1920.