line."[10] The "real American Revolution," as John Adams described it,
was "in the minds and hearts of the people," and it was "effected before
the war Commenced."[11] That revolution had already occurred in the
Fair Play territory prior to the firing of "the shot heard round the
world" on Lexington green.

The frontier experience had a profound influence on the development of
the American philosophy of pragmatism. Turner claimed that it was "to
the frontier" that "the American intellect owe[d] its striking
characteristics."[12] And the Fair Play settlers showed that

... coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and
inquisitiveness; that practical, inventive turn of mind, quick to
find expedients; that masterful grasp of material things, lacking in
the artistic but powerful to effect great ends; that restless,
nervous energy; that dominant individualism, working for good and
for evil, and withal that buoyancy and exuberance which comes with
freedom....[13]

The frontiersman of the West Branch was a free spirit in a free land, a
doer rather than a thinker, more concerned with the "hows" than the
"whys" of survival. This practical approach to problems can be seen in
the homes he built, the tools he made, the clothes he wore, the
political and social systems under which he operated, and the set of
values by which he was motivated. The development of these
characteristic American traits owed much to the frontier and the new
experiences which it offered.

This ethnographic analysis of the Fair Play settlers of the West Branch
Valley has attempted to present a clearer picture of the "style of life"
on this particular frontier and, in so doing, to suggest a further
technique for the frontier historian. There are, no doubt, certain
defects in this specific study, but the fault lies with the limitations
of the data rather than the technique. The scope of this investigation
has carried into questions of geography, demography, politics,
economics, social systems, and leadership. Unfortunately, the frontier
had not yet provided the leisure essential to artistic and aesthetic
pursuits. Consequently, these areas were given a limited treatment.
Furthermore, the mythology and folklore of this valley offered little of
record. However, the breadth of this analysis has furnished evidence of
the existence of democracy on this frontier and, thus, support for
Turner's thesis, or at least for this inter