As adventurous Americans began to move westward in covered wagons, a new spirit was reflected in money and banking developments. Failed experiments with central banking between 1791-1836 led to the "Free Banking Era." Lax banking laws made it easier to open a bank and issue currency. By 1860, approximately 8,000 different state banks were circulating "broken" or "wildcat" bank notes, often by unfamiliar banks located in the wilderness that failed or went "broke."