“400 Years on the Frontier: The Real Story of the American West”

How the American West Was Really Won: A 400-Year Journey of Expansion

After winning independence from Britain, the United States began a dramatic and complex westward expansion — a process that didn’t just define American geography, but helped shape the nation’s identity. While Hollywood films have popularized the ‘Wild West’ as a short period filled with shootouts and saloons, the real story of the American frontier is much broader, deeper, and lasted far longer than most people think.

Reimagining the ‘Old West’

Public perceptions of the Old West — often based on Western films — tend to focus on a narrow slice of history from the 1860s to 1890s. But historians argue that the roots of westward expansion go back centuries earlier, starting with the first English settlement at Jamestown in 1607.

Actor and director Kevin Costner, known for his historically grounded Westerns like Dances With Wolves and Open Range, has long worked to challenge outdated myths. “Everything that happened in Dances With Wolves or Open Range or Horizon actually happened out there,” Costner explains. His latest project, The West, a docuseries on Sky HISTORY, aims to offer a more accurate portrayal of the people, events, and consequences of American expansion.

The Frontier Timeline: Key Events in Western Expansion

1607: Jamestown Settlement
Though not part of the “Wild West” in the Hollywood sense, the founding of Jamestown in Virginia marked the beginning of colonial expansion. From here, settlers began moving inland, laying the groundwork for later pushes westward.

1756–1763: The Seven Years’ War
Britain and France clashed over control of North America. Britain’s victory handed them territory east of the Mississippi River — but left them with massive war debts. Attempts to tax the colonies to cover costs helped spark the American Revolution.

1775–1783: American Revolution
Colonial grievances over taxation without representation led to war with Britain. After gaining independence, the new United States set its sights on the land beyond the Appalachians.

1803: Louisiana Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson acquired a vast swath of territory from France, doubling the size of the U.S. for $15 million. This opened up huge areas for settlement, trade, and conflict.

1848: California Gold Rush
Following the U.S. acquisition of California from Mexico, the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill triggered a mass migration westward. By 1849, tens of thousands of “Forty-Niners” were seeking fortune — drastically increasing the region’s population and fast-tracking California’s statehood in 1850.

1867: Alaska Purchase
Often called “Seward’s Folly” at the time, the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. Initially mocked as a barren wasteland, Alaska’s value became clear with the Klondike gold rush decades later.

America’s Creation Myth — and Its Legacy

As screenwriter and historian Richard Bevan puts it, every country has its creation myth. For the U.S., the frontier — rugged, dangerous, and full of opportunity — became a defining story. While Britain looks back to legends like King Arthur, America’s myth is rooted in documented 19th-century expansion, which continues to influence national attitudes toward gun rights, individualism, and government power.

But how much of this myth is grounded in fact?

A Deeper Look at the Real West

In The West, Kevin Costner and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin focus on eight real-life stories that reveal a more nuanced and human picture of the era. These aren’t just tales of gunslingers or outlaws, but stories of ordinary people navigating extraordinary circumstances — settlers, Indigenous communities, immigrants, and pioneers trying to survive and stake their claim in an untamed land.

While London was building its first underground trains, the American West was being carved out by hand — mile by mile, family by family, battle by battle.

Final Thoughts

The American West wasn’t just a moment in time — it was a centuries-long process of exploration, conflict, migration, and reinvention. Its influence lives on in the myths Americans tell about themselves, and in the very shape of the nation today.