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Daniel Boone - Frontiersman & Explorer (1734-1819)
Born in rural Pennsyvania, in his boyhood he came to know the local Indians, became a skilled hunter and woodsman, and developed a passion for exploring little known territory. At age twenty he joined a military expedition in the French and Indian War. In 1767 Boone traveled into the edge of Kentucky, and in 1769 he and five other men spent nearly two years exploring Kentucky as far west as the falls of the Ohio River. In 1774 he followed the Kentucky River to its mouth. In 1776 he and thirty settlers established a settlement at Boonesborough. Boone left Kentucky in 1788 and moved into what is now West Virginia. Ten years later he left to explore the Missouri region, where he lived the rest of his life.
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David (Davy) Crockett - Frontiersman (1786-1836)
A true frontiersman and Indian fighter who
had no formal schooling, he served in the Tennessee legislature and
represented Tennessee in the U.S. Congress (1827-35.) He was
a colorful figure who was perceived politically as a man of the people. He wrote a
true-adventure autobiography in 1834: "A Narrative of the Life of David
Crockett, of the State of Tennessee." After losing a re-election bid in 1835 against
supporters of Andrew Jackson, he migrated to Texas with a group of fellow
adventurers. He died in the battle of the Alamo, helping Texas
win independence from Mexico. Along with Buffalo Bill Cody and Daniel Boone, his name
has became symbolic of the American Frontier.
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Sam Houston - Soldier & Politician (1793-1863)
He had little formal education, and as teenager in Tennessee he lived for three years with a Cherokee tribe. In 1827, Houston became the Governor of Tennessee. He migrated to Texas in 1832, leading the Texas Army in its defeat of the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, winning independence for the new Republic of Texas. He served twice as President of the Republic, and after Texas gained statehood was elected to the U.S. Senate where
he was a spokesman for fair treatment of Indian tribes. Elected Governor of Texas just
before the U.S. Civil War, Houston refused to participate in the Southern Secession
movement in 1860. He was forcibly removed as Governor in 1861 when Texas voted to join the Confederacy.
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George Armstrong Custer - Army Officer (1839-1876)
Although better known for his Indian fighting, he built a notable record as a cavalry leader in the U.S. Civil War. Graduating at the bottom of his West Point class, he was commissioned a second lieutenant, seeing wide action and rising steadily in rank. Remaining in the army after the war, in 1866 he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the newly authorized 7th Cavalry, remaining its active commander until his death. He took part in the 1867 Sioux and Cheyenne expedition, but was court-martialed and suspended from duty one year for absence without leave to his wife. His army career
ended June 25, 1876, at the battle of Little Big Horn, in which he and all 266 officers and men in his immediate command were killed.
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William F. Cody - Frontiersman (1846-1917)
He was present for and took part in the key events in America's westward expansion;
the Gold Rush, the Pony Express, the building of the railroads, and cattle herding
on the Great Plains, warfare with the Indian tribes. He earned his nickname "Buffalo Bill" for his skill in supplying railroad workers with buffalo meat. He was one of the most famous prairie scouts of the Indian Wars, a favorite of the U.S. Fifth Cavalry. In 1872 he first appeared on stage playing himself in "Scouts of the Prairie". In 1883 "The Wild West" show opened with real cowboys and Indians portraying the "Real West." The show ran for 30 years, playing throughout Europe and the U.S. By 1900, Buffalo Bill was among the most famous and most recognizable men in the world.
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John Stetson - Inventor of the Cowboy Hat (1830-1906)
He learned hatmaking from his father. In his late twenties he contracted tuberculosis, and traveled west for the therapy of fresh air. While camped in the high plains of Colorado he fashioned a rugged, tall, broad-brimmed hat that provided protection from the weather. In 1865 Stetson opened a factory in Philadelphia producing a model of hat named the "Boss of the Plains" that became known as the classic "cowboy hat'. Stetson's name is now synonymous with the style. His factories at their height employed over 5,000 people. Stetson University in Florida is named after him.
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