Fraser voksede op i et område i South Dakota hvor mange indvandrere var på gennemrejse vestpå, og han var vidne til at de oprindelige amerikanere i USA blev skubbet ud af deres oprindelige områder eller ind i indianerreservater.[1]
Disse erindringer havde betydning for hans valg temaer.
^James Earle Fraser hos Medallicartcollector.com : "... Growing up on the prairie outside Mitchell, South Dakota, James Fraser was exposed to frontier life and the experience of Native Americans, who were being pushed ever further west or confined to Indian reservations. These early memories were expressed in many of his works, from his earlier trials, such as the bust Indian Princess, to his most famous projects, such as End of the Trail and the Indian Head (Buffalo) nickel. ..."