Bobbie Kalman, author of the acclaimed Historic Communities and Early Settler Life series, explores the action and adventure that made the West famous. In the latter part of the 19th century, more than half a million pioneers headed west to carve out a future on an unknown frontier. Some were drawn by the offer of cheap land and the promise of religious freedom while others had high hopes of finding gold. Thrilling, authentic photos and full-color illustrations recreate what life was really like for these cowboys, adventurers, and immigrants in this rough-and-ready era in our history. Immigration of the poor, starving, and persecuted to the unsettled North American West spelled opportunity for them but disaster for the Native peoples. Who Settled the West? takes a balanced look at the history and people describing:
-- how the colonies changed hands between countries
-- the dangerous journey by ocean and wagon train
-- why different people left their homelands
-- where certain ethnic groups settled in North America
-- how they staked their claim and built their homes
-- how Africans were captured in their home countries and forced to work on American plantations