Yankees in the West

Explore the American West through the eyes of 19th-century New Englanders. Participants will read the diaries and letters of Gold Rush hopefuls, intrepid train travelers, and tourists in search of “authentic” Native Americans. Using the Society’s current exhibition as our guide, we will investigate how writers, artists, and photographers sensationalized the frontier experience for eastern audiences and conceptualized the West for Americans who increasingly embraced the nation’s manifest destiny.

This program is open to all K-12 educators. Teachers can earn 22.5 PDPs or one graduate credit (for an additional fee).

Image: Front and back cover of a fold-out map of Yellowstone National Park, produced by the Northern Pacific Railroad, 1893. MHS Collections. 

Highlights:

• View and analyze documents and artifacts from the Society's collections.
• Follow New Englanders to the Gold Rush through their letters and diaires. 
• Investigate the lives of women in the trans-Mississippi West. 
• Explore portrayals of Native Americans captured by New England writers, painters, and photographers. 
• Learn more about the Adams family's connection to the West.