30 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2025 Man es Destiny “Columbia” spreading progress west (1872). Representing Manifest Destiny, she guides civilization from the light of the East, while driving the Native Americans, bison, etc. west into the darkness. By artist by John Gast (18421896). Credit Library of Congress. From R.L. Hough Collection. BOB HOUGH | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Indian Hunting Buffalo, by artist Edwin Willard Deming (American, 1860-1942). Credit Smithsonian American Art Museum. From R.L. Hough Collection. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32 PAST Manifest Destiny was coined in 1845 by journalist and political activist John OʼSullivan, which he defined as: “Our Manifest Destiny is to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” Before the Civil War, the United States fulfilled part of this destiny by extending the country from coast to coast. It had also settled the region from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River, opening up the Midwest, which soon became the center of grain and beef production. In addition, this drove the traditional Midwest Native American tribes farther west. Settlers had also moved in large numbers to the West Coast for the opportunity of farming the fertile Willamette Valley in the Oregon Territory or the aspiration of quick riches during the California gold rush. It was after the Civil War that that the governmentʼs attention turned to harnessing the natural resources of the Great Plains.
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