It was hard to believe the two regions were part of the same country. The rapidly industrializing East bore no resemblance to most of the AMERICAN WEST. Except for few urban centers on the coast, the West knew nothing of cities. Instead, the West was an emerging patchwork of homestead farmers, miners, and cattle ranchers. While Easterners tried to make their way in these and other professions, Native Americans desperately clung to the hopes of maintaining their tribal traditions.
