AP Photo/U.S. Postal Service
A U.S. stamp celebrates the California Gold Rush with an image of prospectors mining a stream.
A U.S. stamp celebrates the California Gold Rush with an image of prospectors mining a stream.
Settling of the American West
The exploration and settling of the American West began well before the Civil War. Although it was slowed down by the War, it resumed again in earnest after the conflict ended. Learn about essential elements in the settlement of the West, like the transcontinental railroad, the fur trade, immigrants and the Gold Rush, for example.
Expand All Guide SectionsSettling of the American West
Insight for Settling of the American West
- The Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition jump-started exploration of the American West. Learn more about both in the “Early United States History” guide.
Top Sites for Settling of the American West
For an overview of the settling of the American West …
Mountain Men and the Fur Trade explores the fur trade in the American West through extensive records of traders’ experiences, including diaries, letters and business records. There’s also a gallery of images, a bibliography and links to related Web sites.
EyeWitness to History.com provides coverage of the Old West, full of first-hand accounts to many of the most famous incidents in Western history, including Custer’s Last Stand, an early American Indian buffalo hunt and the California Gold Rush.
For information on the transcontinental railroad …
PBS presents "Transcontinental Railroad," part of its American Experience project. Find a timeline, photo gallery and a section devoted to the railroad’s impact on Plains Indians. Educators should visit the “Teacher’s Guide” for classroom ideas.
For information on immigration …
University of Calgary offers “Peopling North America: Population Movements & Migration.” Learn about immigration to the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
RapidImmigration.com has an essay on the first Americans, and a calendar of important events in immigration history, from 1790 to 2003.
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