What group of people served as the "sturdy base" of the frontier?

The answer is Farmers. There are the people were considered the sturdy base of the frontier, usually settling and intending to stay hoping their children would remain after them. Frontier settlers are what the people were described as "a daring, hardy race of men, who live in miserable cabins ... They are unpolished but hospitable, kind to strangers, honest, and trustworthy.