Development of the frontier from the time of the Northwest Ordinance to the 1890s

Northwest Ordinance

Jul 13, 1787

Passed by Congress to establish laws in the Northwest territory.

Enabling Act

Apr 10, 1802

Passed by the 7th Congress of the united State, the Enabling Act set the rules and procedures for adding new states.

Louisiana Purchase

Apr 30, 1803

Purchase of the Western territory from the French.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

May 14, 1804

Expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the western area bought in the Louisiana Purchase.

Lewis and Clark's Expedition Ends

Sep 23, 1806

Lewis and Clark come back home with treasure troves of new information.

Indian removal Act

May 28, 1830

Signed by President Andrew Jackson to relocate Indian tribes to unsettled lands in exchange for the area the tribes currently lived within the state borders.

Gold Rush

Jan 24, 1848

Gold is discovered in California.

Oregon Trail Established

May 21, 1848

Homestead Act

May 20, 1862

Signed by President Abraham Lincoln to encourage Western migration by promising 160 acres of land to settlers in exchange for a small filing fee.

Frontier disappears

Jun 11, 1890

Fences cage in the open space and make it harder to move cattle.