From the first wagon trains to the building of the railroads, the story of the American West is epic in scope, full of amazing stories of grit, tragedy, and triumph. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and maps, this is the definitive history of a time and place that forever lives in legend. Travel with fur traders and trappers through the Pacific northwest; read accounts of brave pioneers heading west along the Oregon Trail; see 19th-century technology progress as the golden spike connects the east and west coasts; and learn the stories of unforgettable characters who made the American West.