Frontier hospitality coexisted with suspicion for self-protective reasons

Evidence

The frontiersmen joined hospitality to strangers with a suspicion of them. They were suspicious that the stranger might in some way infringe upon their rights, or that his or her presence might in some way prove to be a disturbing factor in the new community … But there also existed a certain obligation to treat the stranger hospitably since it was recognized that in the wilderness he was altogether dependent upon such good will. Moreover, if the stranger proved an agreeable person, his visit was a welcome break in the monotony of the social life of the frontier and was more than welcome. — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 63