<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Myth: Early Americans built this land on rugged individualism...
Summary
The U.S. government played a vital role in settling the West, including massive land purchases and giveaways, the Homestead Act, the Pony Express, agricultural colleges, rural electrification, telephone wiring, road-building, irrigation, dam-building, farm subsidies, and farm foreclosure loans. Without such help, settling the West would have been nearly impossible.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Summary
The U.S. government played a vital role in settling the West, including massive land purchases and giveaways, the Homestead Act, the Pony Express, agricultural colleges, rural electrification, telephone wiring, road-building, irrigation, dam-building, farm subsidies, and farm foreclosure loans. Without such help, settling the West would have been nearly impossible.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->