Brief text and color illustrations chronicle the history of the American West, from the adventures of Lewis and Clark to the massacre at Wounded Knee.

Includes index.

Western wilderness -- Spirit of Native America -- Daily life in Native America -- Explorers -- Across the Appalachians -- Pushing westward -- Trappers and mountain men -- Life on the river -- Spanish west -- Struggle for the southwest -- Miners -- Moving west -- Homesteading on government land -- Pony express -- Stagecoaches -- Railroads span the continent -- Frontier melting pot -- Cavalrymen -- Indian wars-a century of struggle -- Outlaws and lawmen -- Boom towns -- Good doctors and snake oil salesmen -- Cowboy's life -- Farming the west -- West in legend.