Explorers break new ground - but it doesn’t necessarily have to be physical ground or limited to the Old West.   Jonas Salk, the discoverer of the first polio vaccine was an explorer; so was historian Arthur Schlesinger; astronaut Neil Armstrong;  film-maker Ken Burns; and baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.

That spirit of discovery manifests itself today in our own search to understand who we are, where we have been, and how we as a society might approach the future.

The knowledge that Lewis and Clark acquired on their voyage of discovery changed the world.  On the following pages you can explore more details about their epic journey.   In fact, you can learn about all sorts of people and events which altered the course of history.  And just to add a little spice, there is an entire section on the tantalizing "What ifs" of American history.

Explore with the fur traders or Custer or Teddy Roosevelt, follow in the footsteps of William Becknell as he pioneered a new trade route to Mexico, or Francis Parkman as he chronicled one of the first emigrant wagon train expeditions to Oregon Country.  Thrill to the last great gold rush in America in the Black Hills of South Dakota, walk in the moccasins of the native tribes who were at first squeezed out and then nearly annihilated as white Americans thirsted for land and riches.

Whether you are an armchair traveler or interested in joining an excursion to the past, your voyage of discovery begins here.

Happy Trails!