The railroad didn't get finished until a few years after the Civil War. Prior to that, going west would involve considerable capital expenses (if you've played

The railroad didn't get finished until a few years after the Civil War. Prior to that, going west would involve considerable capital expenses (if you've played Oregon Trail, you know you need oxen/horses, a wagon, parts, food, etc, etc). Kind of hard for freedmen in the wake of the Civil War, in devastated Southern territory, 40 acres and a mules notwithstanding, to scrape up that initial investment.