INTRODUCTION The settlement of the American colonies began in the early 1600s when English immigrants sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and settled at Jamestown and Plymouth Rock The first years were full of peril and sickness but the colonists endured and over time their colonies flourished The boundaries of early America began expanding almost from the beginning of settlement For the next three hundred years settlers pushed the frontier westward navigating first through dense forests and wide rivers then across the endless plains and the towering mountains beyond until at last they were stopped by the Pacific Ocean The original inhabitants of the lands Native Americans found their territory pushed farther westward westward Weakened by diseases and overwhelmed by military conquest and the magnitude of white settle ment the American Indians gradually lost claim to their ancestral grounds 4
INTRODUCTION Many settlers heading west traveled in groups of covered wagons The wagons were filled with essential supplies such as food dishes pots and pans and clothing America’s population kept increasing Large numbers numbers of people immigrated to the new country from Europe and many of them moved to the West The process of settling the whole of the continental United States would be marked by a host of difficulties that included rough terrain harsh weather and wars with Mexico and Native American tribes The early settlers of the West faced countless challenges yet their numbers numbers continued to grow and they fueled the relentless expansion across the country The hunger for land drove this westward push Having land of one’s own allowed settlers to make their 5
SETTLERS TRADERS AND TRAILS own destinies and hopefully forge a brighter future The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 essentially doubled the size of the country The annexation of Texas a war with Mexico negotiations with Britain all added still more territory to the growing nation In the early 1800s explorers trappers missionaries missionaries and traders were the first white people to penetrate the lands beyond the Mississippi River These bold adventurers sometimes forged agreements with Native Americans At other times they battled with them The explorers created maps that lured gold miners dirt farmers cattle ranchers and others to follow them From Mormons looking for the Promised Land to wagon trains following thin rough trails across the desolate frontier settlers came by the thousands Dangers they faced from injuries exposure illnesses and attacks did not deter them Their migration and homesteading marked the West as surely as did war and conflict By the time the railroads spanned the continent the days of the Wild West were numbered Still the romance of the frontier continued to define American culture and persists even today 6
CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER ONE EXPLORERS TRAVEL WEST In 1492 Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean on behalf of Spain hoping to find a new route to Asia He failed in that quest but he succeeded in finding a way to a New World that Europeans did not know existed The discovery of the New World the Americas seemed like a dream come true for many of the downtrodden in Europe Famines poverty lack of work oppressive governments religious persecution and the horrors of never-ending wars plagued many people But the New World with its open unexplored lands brimmed with promise Before too long large groups would risk death disease and disappointment for the chance at better lives THE FIRST INHABITANTS The Americas had been settled long before the arrival of Europeans by many millions of people These original 77
