A Literary Reminder of a Fading West

Though 1903 continued in the same difficult pattern and lifestyle for most Americans (see last post), the year also saw many exciting changes. The Canton Asylum for Insane Indians, with its modern lighting and plumbing, reflected the wave of innovation and invention rippling throughout the country.

From 1900 – 1903:

• Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company.
• Germans invented the zeppelin airship.
• Orville Wright made his first flight on the Wright Flyer.
• Guglielmo Marconi completed the first two-way wireless message 
• Crayons were invented.
• Owen Wister wrote The Virginian.

Young Polish Boy, a Migrant Worker, Picking Berries in Maryland, courtesy National Archives

Industrialization had come to the country, even though the majority of the population still lived in rural areas. Men, women, and children abandoned farms and sought the factory work which mechanical innovation made available.

Along with it came the ills of modern society and some new psychological problems. But, not to fear, for alienists were ready and willing to meet the challenges of the new era.

Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin Invented His Namesake Dirigible