Discusses how the United States gained ownership of the Oregon Territory, who discovered the best routes west, and the obstacles pioneers faced on their journeys along the Oregon Trail.
Recounts the journey of the Donner Party which, in 1846, sought to travel from Independence, Missouri, to California but took an untried shortcut that trapped them in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a terrible winter.
Presents examples of women who helped to shape the Western frontier in such diverse roles as schoolteacher, missionary, justice of the peace, and homesteader.