Who were the people who settled the American West in the 1800s? How
are they different from the people moving west today? How did people
get to the West? And how is the idea of Manifest Destiny expressed in
John Gast’s famous 1872 painting? This fun, interactive app filled with
voices from the past and present allows the user to move all the figures out
of Gast’s painting, learning more about the American West and Manifest
Destiny as each figure is dragged back into the painting. Designed to
connect yesterday with today, the app also looks at the contemporary West
in a parallel view that allows the player to drag contemporary images into
the painting, now updated to present time. Featuring artifacts and art from
the Autry National Center’s collection, the app brings the West to life for
players as they learn more about the Pony Express, the Transcontinental
Railroad, and the role the stagecoach played in westward expansion.

This is an interactive learning tool based on a work of art from the
collection of the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. It is appropriate
for all audiences.