Drinking on the American Frontier

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Abstract
Many Americans inhabiting the western frontier during the 19th century drank whisky freely and frequently as they struggled to cope with a hostile environment. The trappers who opened each successive area in the movement toward the Pacific, the miners, the cattlemen and the pioneer farmers who followed later, all drank substantially greater quantities than did those who remained in the east. Nineteenth-century Americans throughout the country drank with less restraint than had their forebears. The frontier environment acted as the force which dislodged the last barriers against intemperate consumption. Crude surroundings provided the shock which drew certain widely prevalent tendencies into bold relief. In colonial America widespread-disapproval of intoxication kept drinking habits from getting out of hand, even among those who drank regularly in public and private. After the Revolution, however, the social atmosphere in the country began to change and societal restrictions and limitations were less strictly observed. Per capita consumption increased steadily until the mid-19th century. Travelers, missionaries, soldiers and forty-niners who recorded their impressions all commented on the extensive American consumption, while comparable accounts indicate no such excesses during either the preceding or succeeding centuries. Whisky, the most popular beverage after 1790 when distillation was found to be an economical way of transporting grain to market, became an expected part of all social intercourse and excessive drinking became a problem. Nonetheless, many observers commented that, even though intoxicated, drinkers were able to function fairly well. The drinking habits which developed among the various frontier groups were related to the patterns of daily activity. The trappers were unable to carry liquor with them and consequently drank explosively whenever they gathered together at the rendezvous for 1 month each year. The cowboys could not drink while they were on the trail, but they more than compensated for these dry periods when they reached the "cow towns." The western miners lived in crude communities where alcohol was readily available and they drank heavily throughout the year to help ease their loneliness for the families they had frequently left behind. Their habits became even more intemperate in the winter when the weather severely limited their activity. Western soldiers drank whisky so excessively that Congress in 1832 suspended their liquor ration; but the excessive drinking continued. The Indians were encouraged to drink by the fur traders and when drunk became violent and uncontrollable. The farmers, the last and by far the most moderate inhabitants of each frontier area, were interested in cultivating the soil and developing the land. The built settlements and frequently enjoyed some form of primitive community organization. Their drinking patterns reflected their relative stability: though they drank more than their eastern counterparts, they were seldom violently drunk and even when intoxicated were able to perform their simple daily tasks. During the 19th century temperance and abstinence sentiment and organization grew sporadically, but real support came primarily from the larger urban centers. In the sparsely settled rural areas clergymen encouraged abstinence, but not until a territory was fairly well populated and reasonably structured communities had begun to develop could the reformers hope to make much progress.

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