Table of Contents Preface 1 1. Overview of the North American Frontiers 3 2. Goals of the International Rivals 17 3. Maritime Explorations 22 4. Beginnings of Overland Exploration of the Frontiers 28 5. Pathfinding and ­Exploration-Settlement Expeditions 34 6. Life on the Trails 41 7. "Runners of the woods" and Other Travelers 48 8.

To Wait Patiently by Hudson Bay 54 9. Taking Great Pains to Get Along with the Indians 61 10. Descended from Five Generations of "waryers" [warriors] 68 11. A Famous Explorer Follows a "grease trail" to the Pacific Ocean 74 12. The Great Lewis and Clark Expedition 80 13. "An atlas of the West" 86 14. Creating a "fur desert" 94 15. How to Hunt Buffalo 100 16.

Wanting to Become President of the United States 107 17. Mountain Man Slang 114 18. "Chastise them well" 120 19. A Nevada Outlaw Named Slade 126 20. The Great Surveys 131 21. A Famous Book: The Big Bonanza 137 22. Conclusions: Why the Explorations of the North American Frontiers Are So Important 141 Annotated Chronology, 1492-1879 145 Appendix 1: The Fur Trade in New France 155 Appendix 2: Exploration by Canoe: The Coureurs de Bois and the Voyageurs 157 Appendix 3: The Railroad Surveys 160 Appendix 4: Early Explorations of the Yellowstone Region, 1797-1871 163 Chapter Notes 167 Bibliography 177 Index 183.