Far West

The interior West — the Rockies, the Great Basin and the northern Plains — settled late and fast by miners, ranchers and railroad workers. Less a folk culture than an economic one: a libertarian self-image paired with a real dependence on the railroads, mining capital and federal land and water that built it. The one category here that is economic rather than ancestral — included for coverage.

• Existed: 1850 CE – present
• Type: Entity