From Mountain Men to Railroads: the Opening of the American West, presented by Dr. Edward Gordon

When Lewis and Clark began their famous expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific in 1804, they little realized how it would rapidly transform the America West. By 1890 the U.S. government officially declared that the Western frontier was closed. Over these 86 years America’s interior was incredibly altered. This is a tale filled with adventure hope, greed, innovation, war, death, and privation. The epic events and diverse people in this great drama are celebrated parts of American history. Historian Ed Gordon will strive to paint a coherent picture from the kaleidoscope of triumphs and tragedies in the history of Western exploration and settlement. His depictions will include: The Lewis and Clark Expedition The Mountain Men: Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Tom Fitzpatrick, Kit Carson Government Explorers: Zebulon Pike, John C. Fremont, John Wesley Powell The Santa Fe and Oregon Trail The 1849 Gold Rush and California Trail Territorial Disputes between Native Americans and Settlers The Transcontinental Railroad and the Near Extinction of the Buffalo The romance of the American West continues to be depicted on screen and in the written word. Just as it contains some of the world’s most spectacular topography, its history forms an iconic chapter in the development of the United States.