INTRODUCTION The election of William Henry Harrison to the pres- idency in 1840 was but one milestone in a progres- sive westward tilt in the nation's political and cul- tural focus. As transportation systems extended the American frontier, and as industrialization gener- ated new capital, adventurous speculators chose to invest in the newly opened West. Americans looking for economic opportunities, places to trans- plant particular religious or political beliefs, or sim ply adventure quickly followed those entrepre- neurs. They expected to find a wide open land of opportunity.