From the first wagon trains to the building of the railroads, the story of the A
merican West is epic in scope, full of amazing stories of grit, tragedy, and tri
umph. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and maps, this is the definitive his
tory of a time and place that forever lives in legend. Travel with fur traders a
nd trappers through the Pacific northwest; read accounts of brave pioneers headi
ng west along the Oregon Trail; see 19th-century technology progress as the gold
en spike connects the east and west coasts; and learn the stories of unforgettab
le characters who made the American West.
