It is true. Because no one wanted to take the rugged journey all the way across the united states, especially because there was no continental railroad yet.
Dr. Xong has to use The Naturalistic Observation. Naturalistic observation is used when must be analyzed someone in their natural environment, without interference from researchers, or without adding or changing anything of the environment investigated. This with the objective of gathering information in the most objective way possible.
I hope my answer can help you.
You can visit in downtown Kansas City. Hope this helps