The timeline described in Frederick Jackson Turner's essay points to 1890 as the end of the American frontier that had been a part of the this country's heritage and culture since the very first settlers arrived. There was plenty of evidence to support his statement, which was published just three years later. The superintendent of the census in 1890 had said the type of land we had previously defined as frontier no longer existed. Using the definition as a zone with little of no population, he said the American frontier was closed forever. This statement leaves little to the imagination. The federal government, itself, is indicating the concept of westward expansion is over.

There was other supporting information. According to our text, historians said that by 1880, that region west of the Rockies was the most urbanized section of the country. This was determined by the number of people living in...