Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

A collective biography of eleven men who explored the American West in the 18th and 19th centuries, including ship's officers, fur traders, and Army officers. The men who opened the American West were a varied group. A number had grandiose dreams of glory, but only a few became famous. However, each fearlessly approached his journey and brought the world knowledge of the uncharted lands known as "the West." This absorbing group biography includes eleven intrepid explorers: sea navigators Robert Gray, George Vancouver, and Sir Alexander Mackenzie; mountain men John Colter, James Bridger, Jedediah Strong Smith, and Joseph Reddeford Walker; military men Zebulon Montgomery Pike and John C. Fremont; and master surveyors Stephen Harriman Long and John Wesley Powell. Their incredible stories cannot help but enthrall and inspire contemporary readers. Index, time line and bibliography as well as notes, maps, and a glossary are included.