This one-volume history of America's westward expansion recounts the story of the men and women of all races and different origins and beliefs who helped shape the character of the new nation. The book makes use of extensive color photos, black & white 19th-century reproductions, and other historic photographs -- as well as clear, interesting text -- to tell the epic tale. The 14 chapters cover, among many other topics: the pioneering spirit of those entering the "unknown country"; back-country land speculators; Lewis and Clark's expedition; Native American encounters -- good and bad; war and depression - 1810 to 1821; trappers and trade; mining; cattle ranching; the fight for Texas Independence; the Texas Republic; Crockett's Last Stand, as pictured by Robert J. Onderdonk; the "new empires" of California, Wyoming, and Nevada; and the Civil War and the West.
