But men and women moving into the West faced many constraints. The land itself was often not what they expected. Water was frequently in short sup ply, and wild animals were a constant threat to crops and livestock. In addition, most of the land in the West was already claimed, either by Indians or by the Spanish, British, and other Europeans. What the United States considered its "right" of owner- ship did not go unchallenged. For most pioneers, environmental and cultural constraints had the outcome of forcing some change upon them and led to the creation of new societies. Mormon farmers in the deserts of Utah, for exam ple, had to learn to cooperate with each other in building irrigation systems. Pioneers in the South west had to learn about the Spanish language and culture.