In 1790, it was not a given that the young United States, bruised and healing from its struggle for independence and populated by fewer than 4 million inhabitants, would even survive, much less flourish. But the great adventure that came next--the exploration and settlement of the lands lying to the west and stretching to the Pacific Ocean--would build a nation where only a patchwork of eastern seaboard colonies had existed before.

The first book in this series, Out Where the West Begins: Profiles, Visions, & Strategies of Early Western Business Leaders, profiled fifty individuals who made significant contributions to the economic development of a young nation.

This second volume follows the saga of more than one hundred influential men and women--political and military leaders, religious thinkers, civil rights proponents, suffragettes, African American pioneers, writers and artists, explorers and surveyors, architects, inventors, innovators, medical professionals, and conservationists--who together wove the story of early western frontier America. The engaging account of their lives forms a unique tapestry of human experience.

In the words of the author, "Understanding our distinctive past helps us better comprehend who we are now and who we wish to become."