With original primary source documents, this anthology brings readers into the vast unknown 19th-century American West-through the eyes of the explorers who saw it for the first time.This volume brings together book excerpts, maps, and illustrations from 12 explorers from the 19th century, highlighting their lives and contributions. Arranged chronologically, the 10 chapters focus on individual explorers, with biographies and background information about and document excerpts from each person. The chapters offer analyses of each document's relevance to the historical period, geographic knowledge, and cultural perspective. This guide shares the important contributions from explorers like Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, Jedediah Smith, James P. Beckwourth, John C. Fremont, Susan Magoffin, and John Wesley Powell. It also nurtures readers' historical literacy by modeling historians' methods of analyzing primary sources. Readers will see new and familiar events from different perspectives, including that of a woman traveling along the Santa Fe Trail, one of the most famous African American mountain men, and a Civil War veteran, among many others.

Presents illustrations and photographs as well as original textual documents and maps

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionSelected ChronologyChapter 1: Lewis and Clark Expedition, October 1803-September 1806Biography of Meriwether LewisBiography of William Clark1. Jefferson's Instructions to Lewis, 18032. Clark's Servant York, October 1804 and January 18053. The Grizzly Bear, April-May 18054. Sacagawea, November 1804, February 1805, and August 18055. Lewis Encounters the Great Falls and a Grizzly Bear, June 18056. Horse Trading with Shoshones, August 18057. Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains, September 1805 and June 18068. The Nez Perce, September-October 18059. "Ocian in View," November 180510. Lewis's Woodpecker, May 180611. Clark's Speech He Prepared for the Crow Indians, July 1806Chapter 2: Zebulon Pike's Expeditions, 1805-1807, and Pike's "Dissertation of Louisiana," 1808Biography of Zebulon Montgomery Pike12. Wilkinson's Instructions to Pike, June 180613. Osage Encampment, September 180614. Pawnee Village, September 180615. Prairie Dogs, October 180616. Buffalo Encounter, November 180617. Confrontation with a Pawnee War Party, November 180618. Pikes Peak, November 180619. Landscape of the Louisiana Territory, 1806-180720. A Colorado Winter, January 180721. Detained by the Spanish, February 180722. New Mexican Towns of Ojo Caliente and San Juan, March 1807Chapter 3: David Thompson's Travels, 1797-1812Biography of David Thompson23. The Beaver, 179724. Mandan Villages, Winter 1797-179825. The Upper Missouri River, February 179826. Trading Guns for Furs, September 180927. Enforcing the Moral Code, March 181028. Kalispel War Preparations, June 181129. Where the Columbia Meets the Pacific, July 181130. Heading Home to Montreal, July 181131. The Rattlesnake, August 181132. Native Spirituality, 1812Chapter 4: Travels of Wilson Price Hunt, 1811-1812, and Robert Stuart, 1812-1813Biography of Wilson Price HuntBiography of Robert Stuart33. The Crow Indians, August-September 181134. Traveling the Snake River, October 181135. Role of American Indian Guides and Assistance in Exploration, December 181136. The Cayuse Indians, January 181237. The Columbia River, January-February 181238. Astoria's Flora and Fauna, June 181239. Salmon Fishing, August 181240. The Snake River, August 181241. Harvesting an Elk, September 181242. The Discovery of the South Pass, October 1812Chapter 5: Stephen H. Long's Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains, 1819-1820Biography of Stephen H. Long43. Duties for the 1820 Expedition, March 181944. The Platte River, June 182045. Hoop Game, June 182046. Pawnee Village, June 182047. Bison, June 182048. A Desert Mirage, July 182049. Snake Indian War Party, August 182050. Big Elk's Speech, October 182051. Uninhabitable Region, 182052. Vocabulary of Indian Languages, 1823Chapter 6: Jedediah Smith's Southwest Expedition, 1826-1827, and Second Expedition, 1827-1828Biography of Jedediah Smith53. The Ute Nation, August 182654. Mojave/Mohave Nation, October 182655. Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, November 182656. The Vaqueros, December 182657. The Mission Indians, January 182758. Observations of a Precarious Life, April 182759. California Indians, February 1827, May 1827, and March 182860. Crossing the Great Basin, June 182761. Salt Lake Valley, June 182762. San Francisco Bay, December 1828Chapter 7: Susan Shelby Magoffin on the Santa Fe Trail, 1846-1847Biography of Susan Shelby Magoffin63. Among the Wildflowers, June 184664. Mosquitoes, June 184665. Prairie Rainstorms, Late June and Early July, 184666. Bent's Fort, July 184667. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains, August 184668. The Raton Pass, August 184669. Culture Shock, August 184670. General Stephen Kearny, September 184671. New Foods, November 184672. Escaping the Mexican War, June 1847Chapter 8: James P. Beckwourth's Travels, 1820s-1850sBiography of James P. Beckwourth73. Dangerous Encounters with Indians, June 182874. Crow Culture, 1829-183175. Indian Warfare, Early 1830s76. Inaugural Address as Chief of the Crow Nation, Summer 183477. Constructing a Fort, Summer 183978. Smallpox among the Pawnees, 1840s79. Beckwourth Pass, Spring 185080. Eyes of an American Capitalist, Early 1850s81. California Gold Rush, Early 1850s82. The Fate of the Plains Indians, Early 1850sChapter 9: John C. Frémont's First and Second Expeditions, June 1842-July 1844Biography of John C. Frémont83. Exploration Party, May-June 184284. Life on the Trail, June 184285. Buffalo Encounters, June 1842 and July 184286. Wolves, July 184287. Arapaho Village and a Buffalo Hunt, July 184288. Great Salt Lake, September 184389. Trading for Fish, October 184390. Advice from the Washoe, January 184491. Crossing the Sierra Nevada, February 184492. Colorado Landscape, July 1844Chapter 10: John Wesley Powell's Travels, 1875-1881Biography of John Wesley Powell93. Overview of the Colorado River, 187594. Geology of the Grand Canyon, 187595. "A Wild Music" in the Canyons, 187596. "The Most Sublime Spectacle on the Earth," 187597. Desert Natives, 187598. Assessment of Water Resources in Utah Territory, 187999. Classifying the Arid Region, 1879100. Organizing the Arid Region, 1879101. "Savage" versus "Civilized," 1881102. Origin of the Echo, 1881Selected BibliographyIndex