The Secret Plan To Destroy America

By Terry McGahey

I hope the readers of The American Cowboy Chronicles can forgive me for writing two political articles in a row. This article is one of the most important articles I could write. Why, because it lays out exactly what the far left is doing, and has been doing, by following the governor of Colorado, Dick Lamm, from the 1970s and '80s. Richard Lamm (August 3, 1935 – July 29, 2021) served three terms as the 38th Governor of Colorado as a Democrat (1975–1987). 

Lamn gave a speech in 2004 entitled "I Have a Plan to Destroy America." This was his plan to destroy America, which came out many years ago. Victor Davis Hanson published these facts, and for those who haven't read his book, this is the plan he uncovered. 

If you find this too unbelievable, then look it up for yourself under Governor Lamm's own writings on how to destroy America. According to Governor Lamm:

1. We first must make America a bilingual country. History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures.
2. I would then invent "multiculturism" and encourage immigrants to maintain their own culture. I would make it an article of belief that all cultures are equal: that there are no cultural differences that are important.
3. We can make the United States a "Hispanic Quebec" without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity. I would replace the melting-pot metaphor with a salad-bowl metaphor.
4. Having done all of this. I would make our fastest-growing demographic group the least educated. I would add a second underclass. Unassimilated, undereducated, and antagonistic to our population.
5. I would then get the big foundations and big businesses to give these efforts lots of money. I would invest in ethnic identity, and I would establish the cult of victimology.
6. I would establish dual citizenship and promote divided loyalties. I would celebrate diversity. "Diversity" is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities.
7. Then I would place all these subjects off-limits—make it taboo to talk about them. I would find a word similar to "Heretic" in the 16th century that stopped discussion and paralyzed thinking.
8. Lastly, I would censor Victor Davis Hanson's book "Mexifornia" - this is dangerous: It exposed my plan to destroy America.

Now, let us talk about number one. Immigrants are no longer made to speak English anymore as the old immigration system required. This has affected our country immensely, causing conflict between language and culture.

Now on to number two. By encouraging immigrants to maintain their own culture, this situation has caused those of other countries to wave the flag of their past country above our own. And by stating all cultures are equal, they have no reason to assimilate.

 
Number three. Making this country a Hispanic Quebec to celebrate diversity rather than unity has caused total disruption of our laws and morals.

Number four. Making the fastest growing demographic group the least educated is exactly what is going on within our education system, especially college.

Number five. Getting the big foundations and businesses to give big money to these efforts and by establishing the cult of victimology, this is exactly what's going on today.

 
Number six. Establishing dual citizenship and celebrating diversity. Does the WOKE movement bring anything to mind?

Number seven. By placing subjects such as Diversity, Equity, and inclusion subjects' taboo to talk about is nothing more than a way to control free speech.

Number eight. He promotes censorship of any book that goes against these beliefs calling Victor Davis Hansons' book dangerous because exposes his plan to destroy America.

In closing, if anyone is paying attention to what's going on today within our county, you can see that the socialists, communists, and muslims are following this plan to the T.

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his epic battle against the City of Tombstone and its historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law.

Terry was instrumental in finally repealing Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9. He is directly responsible for compelling the City of Tombstone to adhere to Arizona's laws.

If you'd like to read about his epic battle against the City of Tombstone, click here: The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

Ashamed of My Generation

By Terry McGahey
Oct 23, 2025 

I am a baby boomer, and I am truly ashamed of many people within my generation. 

Watching many of the boomer generation protesting against President Trump, calling him a fascist, calling him Hitler, and stating that he is ruining democracy. First off, we are not a true democracy. We are a Constitutional Federal Republic that operates on democratic principles. 

A true democracy does not and will not work in our country because the East and West coast areas carry the most votes, which means that the middle of our country would, in essence, have no say. The situation in a true democracy would actually take away democracy for many folks who live in the center of the country, and what is referred to as flyover states.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many boomers who are American Patriots, but we are not the ones out hollering, screaming, dancing around carrying signs and making fools of ourselves. If you want to know who these people are, in my opinion, it's mostly the old dope smoking, cocaine sniffing, pill-popping hippies of the Sixties Era. These old hippies are the ones who marched against the Vietnam War. 

Now don't take me wrong, that war was a mess, and those people had the right to protest the government over that war, and I have no problem with people peacefully protesting. That is their right, and no matter how I feel about things, I will stand up for their right to do so.

 
These old burnt-out hippies are the same ones who took out their anger on the soldiers who were lucky enough to come home alive from Vietnam. Many of these soldiers were drafted, and as most of us realize, once you are in the military, you have no choice in your deployment. They had no choice. 

When many of our soldiers returned home, what did these old hippies and college students do? They spit at them and called them horrible names, such as "baby killers" and other terrible things. How is this any different than what's going on with these old hippie boomers today? Some of these old hippies are calling for violence against the average patriots who believe in saving our country against the Socialist/Communist movement. This is only my opinion, and if no one likes my opinion, that's too damn bad because I couldn't care less.

If you don't believe the far left is for Socialism and even Communism, Mamdani in New York proves that belief because he is a known Communist. All one has to do is look at who is at the top of the Democratic Party. AOC, who lied about her being from the Bronx, Crockett, who does nothing but race-bait, Schiff, who is a proven liar, Sanders, who is an admitted Socialist, Omar, who has even made the statement about how she is watching out for Somalia, and Tlaib, who is purely a radical, then old Schumer, who is no better. These are the people who now control the Democrat Party, or should I just call it what it is, "The Socialist Party of America."

 
These people like to call themselves Democratic Socialists. Yes, we have some socialist programs, but we are not a socialist run country. Once we allow any type of Socialism to become powerful within our government, including the so-called Democratic Socialists, we will have lost our country as we have known it. 

Socialism is like a malignant cancer. Once those views get power, it will only grow and grow until we become a third-world country, which is what they truly want, because they will then be able to keep control from then on, and this is what the movement is really about. 

Just look at California if you want to get a glimpse of Democratic Socialism. How do you control the people? You control people through regulation, heavy taxes, and phony green energy bills, or others who are making people like Al Gore and others very wealthy while they fly around the country in those expensive jets and drive vehicles like Hummers. But, don't you do it. Do as I say and not as I do. If they are not Socialists, then tell me, what the hell are they?

One more thing. The Democratic Socialist Party is all for the violence and disruption going on within our country, and I can prove this without doing miles of research, and it's really very simple to prove this. When have you ever heard one of the top Democrats speak out against the violence with ANTIFA or others? I've only heard one Democrat politician, and he is Sen. John Fetterman (PA), who condemns his fellow Democrats.

Democrats haven't condemned the violence because they support it. When you don't speak out against the violence and disruption, then you agree with it. That's simple proof without digging into it any further.

Terry McGahey is a writer and Old West historian.

This once-working cowboy is best known for his epic battle against the City of Tombstone and its historic City Ordinance Number 9, America's most famous gun-control law.

Terry was instrumental in finally repealing Tombstone City Ordinance Number 9. He is directly responsible for compelling the City of Tombstone to adhere to Arizona's laws.

If you'd like to read about his epic battle against the City of Tombstone, click here: The Last Gun Fight -- The Death of Ordinance Number 9 (Chapter One)

Conservative Talk Host Matt Walsh Asks a Million Dollar Question – What if the Parties Were Reversed Over the Last Two Weeks?

(Matt Walsh / YouTube screenshot)

Story by Mike LaChance 

The Gateway Pundit

Sep. 25, 2025 

Conservative talk host Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire has just performed a fascinating thought experiment. What would happen if the parties were reversed over the course of the last two weeks? Would things have played out differently?

You better believe they would have.

Walsh really puts it into perspective here. He broke it all down in a lengthy post on Twitter/X that has been viewed millions of times.

Here’s an excerpt:

Imagine that we have a Democrat administration. Now imagine that a right wing radical shot and killed one of the most influential liberals in the country on live TV. Now imagine that thousands of other conservatives shamelessly celebrated the assassination and called for more of them. Now imagine that in the same week another right winger shot up a country club while shouting “MAGA” and another one shot up a news station and left behind a manifesto complaining about liberal bias in the media.

Now imagine that a week after all of those attacks, a conservative sniper perched on a rooftop fired into a Planned Parenthood clinic, killing or injuring multiple people. And imagine that this Planned Parenthood attack was just the latest in a string of them stretching back several months.

Is there any doubt how the Democrats would respond? Is there any doubt that they would wage a full scale war on conservatives and have people like me frog marched in front of cameras in handcuffs and leg irons? Is there any doubt that they would declare martial law and label all right wing expression incitement? Is there any doubt that they would be rounding up conservatives by the bus load and shipping us to Gitmo?

Is there any doubt that they would have Fox News and every other conservative media company shut down and its executives arrested or sued into bankruptcy?

Walsh goes on to explain that he is not even advocating for the right to do what the left would do, but that he does want the Trump administration to act in order to save lives.

It’s also an important scenario to imagine, because Walsh is right, we all do know how Democrats and the media would react. They need to be reminded of that.

About the Author:

Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. Since 2008, he has contributed work to the Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller, Breitbart, the Center for Security Policy, the Washington Free Beacon, and Ricochet. He has also written for American Lookout, Townhall, and Twitchy.

You can email Mike LaChance here, and read more of Mike LaChance's articles here.

Let's Talk About My Mom On Hospice

 

Some of you have written me over the years to say how much you enjoy my stories. Some of you have also written to take me to task over this or that. Of course, many of you want to know what's going on when you don't see me posting anything new for a while.

First, let me say that I have been researching some intriguing, yet relatively unknown, tales of the Old West for my next book. As many of you are aware, one of my hobbies is researching 19th-century period newspapers. I've found a few stories that I think you will find pretty interesting. And since my second book is about three years overdue, I feel that now is as good a time as any to explain why that's the case.

Actually, for me to say I'm about three years overdue on Book Two is about right, because it was about three years ago that my Mom became ill and ended up in hospice. So, yes, that's the reason I didn't follow up Book One with a second, and it's why you haven't seen many stories on my blog for a while.

In 2022, a few days after my Mom attended a Marine Birthday Ball as a guest of my Marine Corps League detachment, Mom had to go to Kaiser Hospital emergency room for breathing problems. Mom has suffered from Congestive Heart Failure for many years. On the day that she had to go to the ER, her oxygen levels were extremely low. Two days later, she was admitted to another hospital and would be there for about a week. After that, she was taken to a skilled nursing facility for almost a month. She went home in mid-December of 2022 and has been in hospice care at her home ever since.

My Mom's name is Frances Jolenta Correa. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 6th, 1934. She grew up in Kalihi on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. She is the only child of Manuel and Cecelia Gouveia.

Her father, my grandfather, was Manuel R. Gouveia, who was born in Maui. During his life, he was a Merchant Seaman, a cattle rancher, and a businessman in Honolulu. It was while he was a Merchant Seaman that he met and soon after married Cecelia Lorena Coelho in 1932. My mom shared how her mother, my grandmother, graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu. Mom said that was a big deal to her family since most of them back then didn't make it past grade school. Grandma began working for the federal government at Pearl Harbor in 1940, when my mom was six years old.

One of my Mom's most memorable stories to tell was about how she remembered watching the Japanese war planes fly over her home in Kalihi on December 7, 1941. She was 7 years old and was walking to church that morning with my grandmother when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. She said she remembered how my grandmother turned them around and tried to get home to safety as quickly as possible.

Mom said my grandfather was in Ewa Beach fishing that Sunday morning when the bombing took place. She said Grandma made her crawl under her bed to be safe. She said she remembered when Grandma waited for what seemed like forever until she told her to come out from hiding. Mom recalled crying so hard that all she wanted to do was go to sleep until the nightmare passed. She said she did just that. She went to bed, pulled the covers over her head, and waited for her dad to get home.

Like many of her generation, she had vivid memories of being raised during the Great Depression and living through World War II. My mom talked about how my grandfather took whatever work was available to try to make ends meet. She talked about how she and her parents lived with her grandparents in Kalihi as a way of surviving the hard times. They spoke little to no English, so they all spoke Portuguese at home. She also remembered having a dress made from flour sacks that her mom had made. And yes, she mentioned how they had a garden in the back of their Kalihi home and grew a lot of their own food.

My mom talked about how she remembered the food rationing during World War II. I remember how she said she hated how scary it was during the blackouts of the war years. She hated that they had to have black curtains and that no lights could be seen from any of the homes. She remembered standing in line with her grandfather for food during World War II. And yes, she mentioned how their vegetable garden, which they used to grow their own food, turned into a Victory Garden during the war years.

She went to St. Anthony School in Kalihi until she entered High School. It was then that her mom and dad, along with her grandparents, moved to the other side of Honolulu, to Kaimuki, so that she would attend and be in walking distance to Sacred Hearts Academy in Kaimuki. Sacred Hearts Academy is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for girls. It was founded in 1909 to serve the needs of early Hawaii Catholics in the former Territory of Hawaii. Mom has always taken pride in the fact that she graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy. She was in the Class of 1952.

Soon after graduating, she met Herman Clifford Correa of Waihawa, Oahu, Hawaii. She married the man who would be my dad in November 1953. Together, my parents had six children. The first was my older brother Herman Ray, then I came along, and after me came my brother Vernon, my brother Howard, my sister Valerie, and then my sister Joanie.

I remember growing up with my great-grandfather, my grandfather and grandmother, my mom and dad, and five of us kids in a three-bedroom, one-bath house on Pahoa Avenue in Kaimuki, until 1964. That was the year that my great-grandfather passed away at the age of 88. I was 8 years old when he passed away. Since we didn't have enough beds in the house, I slept with my great-grandfather. Since my great-grandfather spoke little to no English, we spoke Portuguese at home. That changed after he passed away. His wish was that we only speak English because we are Americans. And yes, Mom made sure his wishes were carried out. We stopped speaking Portuguese at home after he died.

Of course, since Mom was expecting at the time, it was just a few months after my great-grandfather passed away that my sister Joanie was born. So yes, we were back up to ten of us in that house. We lived in that house for many years. And frankly, it was always the place that we loved the most. Our "Kaimuki House," as Mom called it, was always the place where we called "home" for as long as I can remember.

My dad was a welder and construction worker most of his life. And for those who understand how hard it is to raise a big Catholic family, Dad had to go where the work took him. And yes, with work being hard to find in Honolulu in the early 1970s, Mom and Dad moved us to California in 1972. That year, Mom and Dad bought a home in Hayward, California.

Mom started working for K Mart in those years. And yes, she worked at K Mart for quite a few years. Of course, that wasn't the first job that she ever had. In fact, there was a time when all of us kids were in school, and she worked at the Sheraton Hotel in Waikiki. She also worked at Sea Life Park in Waimanalo for a few years before moving to California.

Mom and Dad upgraded to buy a home in a much nicer neighborhood in Hayward in 1976. After retiring, Mom and Dad enjoyed driving across the country and taking cruises. But, more than anything else, throughout Mom’s life, she always looked forward to doing things with our family. From attending birthday celebrations to our family’s huge Christmas party, Mom loved her large family and being surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

They lived in their house for 25 years until they bought their last home in the Castle Oaks Golf Course community of Ione, California, in 2001.

Sadly, Dad passed away in 2005. And as for Mom, well, she's kept busy ever since then by being involved with friends and family. From joining up with other ladies who enjoyed playing cards and a dice game called "Bunco," to joining a "Red Hat" Club, and attending lunches and dinners with friends, she has certainly kept herself busy. Of course, one of the things you learn in life is that even though Mom beat my great-grandfather's record for longevity, even entering her 90s, we kids know we are never too old to visit Mom.

A few things I like to remember about doing things with Mom involve taking her to Yosemite National Park back in 2020. I recall discovering that year that she had never been there. I couldn't believe that she had been in California since 1972 and never made it to Yosemite National Park. To remedy that, my wife, Deanna, and I took her to Yosemite with us one day when she thought we were just going out for an early lunch. She loved it.

And yes, there was that time back in 2014, when my wife, Deanna, and I, along with my older brother, Herman Ray, took our Mom to Los Angeles to appear on the television show, The Price Is Right. When my older brother and my Mom came up with the idea, I had to confess that I had never watched the show. Of course, that didn't matter.

I remember how much fun it actually was driving the 6 hours South to Los Angeles. Arriving the day before we're supposed to be at the television studio, we stayed the night at a hotel on the same day that the Hollywood Christmas Parade took place. So with my Mom in a wheelchair, we went to watch that. Mom loved it. And the next day, we were second in line to get into the studio door. Yes, in a line that must have had over a hundred people in it. All in all, we all had a great time. It was quite a show. In fact, I discovered that the production of the show is significantly better than what we see on television.

As most who know me know well, I'm not one for big cities. As soon as it was over, we got out of Los Angeles as quickly as the traffic allowed. I drove home that night just to get out of there.

Mom had just turned 88 years old on November 6th, 2022. I kidded her about tying the record for longevity in our immediate family. No one on my Dad's side of the family, nor my Mom's, had lived as long as my great-grandfather. It was a record that I had hoped she would extend a lot farther.

As I mentioned earlier, on November 10th of that year, Mom joined my wife, Deanna, and me to attend the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, hosted by the Marine Corps League detachment to which I belong. In actuality, I'm the Commandant for the Marine Corps League Motherlode Detachment 1080 in Ione. Mom was my guest. I bring it up because it was the first time she had ever attended a Marine Corps Ball in all the years I've been associated with the Marine Corps. I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to know she finally had the chance to attend.

By November 16th of that year, she was having breathing troubles, and her Congestive Heart Failure troubles had started up. That was 2022, and yes, she's been in hospice ever since. Over the last three years, she's had her ups and downs. In April of this year, unable to walk or use a walker, she found herself confined to bed. Other than getting her out of bed on July 26, when I got her into a wheelchair for a little more than an hour, she has been in bed.

My older brother passed away about nine years ago. And yes, my younger brother has commitments in another state. So it's been up to my sisters, my youngest brother Howard, and me to provide Mom with 24/7 coverage since April.

It hasn't been easy, but frankly, Bristol Hospice has provided superior service to Mom and our family. Bristol Hospice is an outstanding company, and the Certified Nursing Assistants who work for them have an incredibly hard job. Frankly, I really don't know how they do it, day in and day out. Bristol Hospice is an incredible company, and I cannot give enough praise. Besides being extremely professional and committed to providing excellent hospice care over this entire time, every one of their employees is as caring and personable as can be.

Bristol Social Worker Stefanie McCann has been a blessing. And yes, so have Bristol's RNs Alex and Dawn, LVNs Corrine and Lupe, HCA Kim, Chaplain Eric, and others over this long period when Mom was hanging on. All of Bristol's personnel have shown incredible caring and compassion. All have treated my Mom like family, and I will forever be indebted to them for all that they have done to make her remaining time with us as good as can be expected.

For my sisters, my brother, and me, during this time, our job hasn't changed. Other than the time involved and the emotional toll of watching Mom as she declines, our reward is being here for Mom to make sure she's comfortable. My sister, Val, who recently moved from Idaho to Indiana, has been a blessing. She has chipped in by flying out to help. In fact, though Val was out here in August for a few weeks, she returned a couple of weeks ago to take over for a while. Val's going to be here for the next few weeks. She is a Godsend.

So now, since many of you have written to ask what's been going on because you haven't seen me posting anything new for a while, I wanted to share what's been happening with me lately. I said before, it hasn't been easy. But, there have been those moments that I wouldn't trade for all the tea in China. Those small moments of her calling out for water, or to hear her say she's ready for lunch, or when she wakes to simply ask how we are doing, or to simply say she loves us, are all worth more than gold. I cannot tell you how good it is not to have missed out on any of that.

And here's something else. In retrospect, one thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is how, over the years, I've made it a point to spend at least one day a week visiting my parents. I started doing that after my grandfather passed away in 1988. I figured that as long as I wasn't on the road out of town for work, I would make sure that I gave my folks some of my time. And yes, after Dad passed away, I found it increasingly important to visit Mom more often than regularly.

Most of the time, when my wife and I would visit Mom, we would "talk story" about the old days. Most of the time, we would play cards or board games, joke, and laugh about some of the silliest things. And yes, every once in a while, usually after Mom mistakenly took an extra turn during a board game or while playing cards, she'd get embarrassed and say, laughing, "You'll miss me when I'm gone."

What I know about Mom is that she wanted a big family because she was an only child. I know for a fact that she loves her family and friends. And though, as of today, October 16th, 2025, she appears tired and nearing the end of her time with us, I thank God for giving me her as a Mom. I know in my heart that I'll be forever grateful that she shared her life with us. And no, I don't think she'll ever know how right she was -- I'll miss her when she's gone. Yes, I will.

I love my Mom very much, and it was tough watching her decline, especially over the last few days when it seemed like she would pass at any moment. Our waiting came to an end this morning, October 21, 2025, when my sister Val, my brother Howard, and I found that Mom passed away in her sleep last night. She's now in Heaven.

She's survived by her son Tom and his wife, Deanna; her son Vernon and his wife, Kimberly; her son Howard and his wife, Sharon; her daughter Valerie and her husband, Travis; and her daughter Joan. She has been a grandmother to 24 grandchildren and "G.G." (great-grandma) to 25 great-grandchildren.

As for us, her family, we promised to keep her at home until the end, to care for her, to keep her comfortable, and to love her. We kept our promise because we’ve been blessed to have such a wonderful Mom. And yes, I know we will see her again one day. Until then, we'll miss her. Yes, we will all truly miss her.

Tom Correa

The Loss of Life for Americans Trying to Fulfill Manifest Destiny Was High

So, let's talk about how the loss of life for Americans trying to fulfill Manifest Destiny was high. But first, let's recognize that the California Gold Rush dramatically accelerated the "American Westward Expansion" by drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the West. That influx of settlers fueled the idea of Manifest Destiny.

The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was first used by newspaper editor John O'Sullivan in 1845. He created the term to advocate for the United States to annex Texas. Coined by John O'Sullivan, his idea was that America was "divinely ordained" to expand and settle across the entire North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Let's remember that it was his opinion that God wanted the United States to settle all of the territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  

If you're wondering why I put "divinely ordained" in quotes, it's because it seems to me that many people throughout human history have felt that God, or their Gods, have ordained certain things. For example, various Native American tribes, long before Europeans ever set foot on American soil, felt that their Gods meant for them to have certain lands at the expense of war with other tribes. And yes, in many cases, genocidal war took place between tribes. The same situation was with Hawaiian King Kamehameha, who believed that conquering the other islands was ordained by his Gods. Of course, he probably wouldn't have been able to do that without European warfighting arms and technology, but that's an inconvenient point of fact that Hawaiian history revisionists prefer not to discuss. Remember, to Hawaiians, the Europeans were perceived as bad people for 'colonizing' Hawaii. And sadly, some of that hate for Whites still exists in Hawaii today. 

So, no, I don't see Americans in the 19th Century believing that America was guided by God to go West as being something that was that much different from what many people around the world have thought at different points in human history. Of course, while America's belief in "Manifest Destiny" is often portrayed as American arrogance at the time, I don't see it as being much different from other people who believed that their God or Gods ordained something or other. 

The core idea that Americans had a "manifest destiny" to expand from one ocean to the other influenced a great many people and provided a powerful rationale for Westward migration, despite the high cost in American lives. And yes, besides the thousands of lives lost during the Mexican-American War, the cost in American lives, those pioneers who died trying to go West, was extremely high.

 
That's the part of "Manifest Destiny" that no one talks about. People do talk about how Manifest Destiny played a significant role in the displacement of some Native American tribes, for the role Americans played in the annexation of Texas, and for the impact that concept had on the acquisition of territories from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. And yes, people talk about how the addition of new territories fueled debates over slavery and increased tensions between the North and South, which contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

But, for some strange reason, I never hear people talk about the cost of American lives, or how much blood, treasure, and hard work it took to fulfill the idea of Americans having to go West because
God intended for that to take place. There is never a mention of the thousands of American pioneers who died expanding and spreading the American culture or attempting to spread America's democratic ideals across the continent.

 
So how bad was it in the case of lives lost? 

Well, there are factors that complicate getting an accurate toll of how many Americans died attempting to fulfill the dream of "manifest destiny." A dream for many that turned into a nightmare. 

For example, because of the lack of accurate records, it is almost impossible to know the exact number of settler deaths along the trail. One reason is the unrecorded burials. It's true. Graves were often unmarked to protect them from vandals or were intentionally placed in the wagon trail to be trampled over, making them undetectable to animals that might dig them up. 

And frankly, between 1841 and 1869, anywhere from 350,000 to 400,000 Americans embarked on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails. Estimates suggest that anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 or more American settlers died on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails during the 20-year span between 1840 and 1860. 

That means that about one in ten, or one in eight, settlers who attempted the journey died along the way. And really, those figures don't capture the overall death toll for settlers during the entire era of Westward expansion, which also includes the countless lives lost in other conflicts, accidents, and diseases. To be realistic, about one in five people during that period died from all sorts of things, including disease, accidents, the weather, starvation, violence, and dumb decisions.

 
The leading cause of death for American settlers was disease. That was the greatest killer on the trails, in mining camps, towns, on homesteads, farms, ranches, and other settlements. Cholera was the most feared and deadly disease. It is caused by bacteria that thrive in unsanitary water and can kill a healthy person within hours. Typhoid, dysentery, smallpox, measles, and influenza were also common due to poor hygiene and the close quarters of most temporary camps. 

As for the weather and other natural disasters, they could be lethal. Extreme heat, thunderstorms, lightning, and deadly hailstones all posed risks to traveling settlers. Severe storms and early snowfalls trapped some parties, leading to starvation, as in the case of the Donner Party, where 35 people died. Of course, the Donner Party is a prime example of the consequences of a poor decision. And yes, their decision to proceed over the Sierra Mountains when they did was dumb.

As for bison stampedes? Yes, they could also cause injuries and wreak havoc on wagon trains. As for bear attacks, there are documented instances of attacks occurring when settlers set out from their wagon trains in search of game. 

Of course, just because people made it to where they were going, it didn't mean they would survive. The death toll statistics of those making the journey don't include the deaths of settlers who died in less-documented land acquisition, skirmishes, new homesteads, on farms, ranches, in towns, mining camps and mines, in mills, and in forests falling trees, on ships, during the building of the railroad. And yes, while in reality relatively uncommon compared to dying from disease, starvation, and accidents, deaths from Native American conflicts did take place. Of course, it is impossible to determine exactly how many lives of settlers were lost in various battles and skirmishes throughout the decades of Westward expansion. 

While many accounts with Native Americans were exaggerated and sensationalized, and some were overreported in contemporary accounts, the events did happen. And really, while people talk about Manifest Destiny, they focus on the expansion of the United States; the expansion itself led to violent conflicts and wars with Native Americans. Those conflicts, big and small, and while not always noted, resulted in numerous settler deaths. One example is during the 1862 Dakota War, when over 1,000 white settlers were killed or captured by rebelling Dakota Sioux. 

As for deaths by criminals, those outlaws who stole and murdered? Widespread lawlessness and the resulting vigilantism did take place for a reason. It's a fact that, along with the good, comes the bad, even during the Western expansion. What took place during the rapid, often chaotic, expansion into new territories was the creation of conditions that led to lawlessness. This resulted in a high incidence of crime, particularly in newly settled mining and cattle towns. 

The rise of vigilante justice? Yes, as you've heard me talk about before, from mining camps to new towns springing up, there was no organized law enforcement. So yes, the people had to create what they already knew as "Citizens Committees," also known as "Vigilance Committees." And with official law enforcement often sparse and ineffective, settler communities formed vigilante groups to enforce their own versions of justice, often with brutality. This led to lynchings and summary executions. Was it effective in deterring crime? In most cases, it was. Of course, as is in life, some outlaws were too stupid to understand that the outlaw life was not a really healthy way of life until they were dancing on the end of a rope under some lone tree. 

The romanticized image of the American outlaw arose from this era of lawlessness. Figures like Jesse James and Butch Cassidy, who committed acts of violence and theft, became iconic figures in the frontier mythology. As life in the West became more settled, the crime rate in the West did come down. This was mainly because most residents were armed, and outlaws were dealt with accordingly.  

As for accidents that took lives in the pursuit of Manifest Destiny? Well, accidents along the way West were a constant danger. During the journey West, wagon accidents occurred frequently, with children and adults falling under the wheels and being crushed. River crossings were particularly perilous, and drowning was a common cause of death. Actually, drownings were a significant risk, especially during perilous river crossings where swift currents could capsize wagons. Gunshot wounds, often self-inflicted by inexperienced gun owners, were also common.

If memory serves me right, long before the outlaw Johnny Ringo became famous and his family journeyed to San Jose, California, in a wagon train, he lost his father as a result of a gun accident. It's said that he was pulling a shotgun out of a wagon from the muzzle when it went off. It killed him instantly. And yes, he was buried in an unmarked grave along the trail. 

During the 1800s, accidents, especially those we would today term "occupational accidents," were often caused by hazardous industrial work, primitive and dangerous machinery, inadequate ventilation, and a lack of safety regulations, resulting in injuries such as lost limbs, burns, and fatalities from explosions and collapses. In the West, common industries such as mining, logging, and fishing were especially perilous, with workers facing risks on a daily basis. For example, in the case of fishing, it wasn't unusual for capsize-prone fishing vessels and severe storms to result in high mortality rates among fishermen. And yes, buildings, especially mines, could collapse due to structural flaws or explosions, trapping and killing workers. Miners faced risks from explosions, toxic gases, and mine collapses on a daily basis.

In mills, exposed gears, moving belts, and unguarded blades on machines led to amputations and other severe injuries. Lack of safety regulations, poor ventilation, and crowded environments increased the risk of accidents and illness. Of course, fires and explosions were frequent. For example, from flour dust in mills to methane gas in mines, faulty steam boilers in factories and on trains, fires, and explosions were frequent causes of death and injury. 

So yes, besides the large number of Americans who died heading West, Manifest Destiny created harsh conditions and devastating consequences for Native Americans and American settlers alike. 

The perilous journey, traveling westward on trails like the Oregon Trail, was a long, difficult, and dangerous ordeal that lasted for months. American pioneers faced brutal weather, starvation, and diseases like cholera, which in many cases wiped out entire wagon trains. Of course, after arriving, they found frontier life brutal. 

In most instances, settlers, especially those who moved to the Great Plains, found it difficult to cultivate the dry, tough soil with limited rainfall. Many homes were poorly constructed from mud, and the lack of supplies made for an extremely tough existence. And, in reality, many faced financial failure since the cost of starting a farm was high, and many who took advantage of acts like the Homestead Act were unable to make their farms profitable. Many failed and ended up working as migrant laborers for larger commercial farms. 

So, please, when discussing Manifest Destiny, let's not make the mistake of portraying it as though it was a cake walk for American settlers heading West. Let's remember that, driven by a belief that justified America's Westward expansion, American settlers faced many hardships. And yes, the loss of life for Americans trying to fulfill Manifest Destiny was high. Let's refrain from criticizing or belittling, especially in an unfair manner, or disparaging and downplaying what those American pioneers accomplished. 

Those American pioneers, those who followed the promise of Manifest Destiny, faced extreme difficulties, a high rate of failure, at a huge loss of life. And for that, they should be admired for their tenacity. 

Tom Correa