The Civil War freed the slaves. It also opened vast tracts of land to settlement through the Homestead Act. Consequently tens of thousands of African Americans sought the High Plains and regions beyond as homesteaders. Some found success and security. For others such goals remained painfully elusive. This lecture describes these western settlers. It also discusses the cowboys and buffalo soldiers who made the region their homeland. Finally, it looks at the various encounters of black westerners with Asian Americans, Native Americans and Latinos who also had dreams of success and freedom in the region. From the Series:African American West, 1528-2000