*Promoters of the Western Frontier, both past and present, used creative language to help potential settlers imagine a new and better west.
*Promoters of the 19 th Century were careful not to infer that the move westward would mean the settlers would be leaving any of the comforts they had become accustomed to behind.
*Current day promoters offer rustic surroundings without leaving any of the modern-day amenities these new “pioneers” have become accustomed to.
*Boosters of the modern day face an interesting paradox. They promote to sell the lands, using western themes as selling points. If too many people move there, the authenticity of the west will fade away.
*The current promotion of this region has been so successful, it includes the five fastest growing states today: Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho.
*Residents with the deepest regional roots or those with primacy, (the notion that length of residence in a place confers certain rights), were protective of their cherished lands and culture.
*All pioneer rememberers, both past and present, proudly became staunch guardians of the Old West Spirit.
*The sense of place white settlers developed in the West came at the expense of the American Indian’s attachment to their homeland.
*People of all ethnic backgrounds had emotional and financial investment in the promise of the West.
*While most memories of the pioneers are those of the white man’s, perspectives from other races must also be taken into account when analyzing the movement west.
*Attachment to place naturally lends itself to interaction and cooperation among different cultural groups who reside there.
*For many years, states such as Oregon, Colorado, and Idaho have expressed a strong anti-Californian sentiment. This is an example of bolstering identity through intolerance.
*The promises made, in some cases, led to false self-validation by the settlers.
*The identity of a region is shaped as much by promises broken as promises kept.