Exploring the American West, 1803-1879

Official National Park illustrated handbook chronicles how the land between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean was explored, mapped, photographed, and settled between 1803 and 1879. Part one includes a brief historical narrative of the events that lured men westward between 1803-1879. Part two describes the mountain men, explorers and scientists who helped in the western expansion to the Pacific Ocean. Part three is a documented pictorial record created by artists, cartographers, and photographers who accompanied the organized expeditions to the west.