Based on sources from the Everett D. Graff Collection at the Newberry Library, this resource contains manuscript materials, broadsides, maps, photographs, and rare printed items documenting the history of the American West from the 18th century to the early 20th century. Main themes covered by the collection include Native Americans, exploration, pioneers, mining and gold rushes, the Mormon migration, settlement and homesteading, transportation history, urban history, law and order, the "Imagined West", and agricultural development. Along with materials on the geographical West, there are materials on the "borderlands": Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico, Texas, and the Southwest. Most content is full text searchable; the collection can also be searched by theme, geographical region, and document type. Access is supplemented by six introductory essays.