overland journeys to the pacific

A light-hearted look at some of the difficulties faced by the pioneers who traveled by wagon train across the United States to settle in the West.

Describes what life was like for young people moving to and living on the western frontier.

With the Civil War ended and Reconstruction begun, fifteen-year-old Billy resolves to make the dangerous and challenging journey West in search of real fortune--his true father.

Describes the choices and decisions the pioneers faced as they traveled to the American West and built settlements there. Includes activities.

Describes the journeys west made by many settlers in the mid-1800s--mostly overland, but also by sea--discussing their reasons for going, the difficulties they faced, and life on the way.

Uses materials from letters and diaries written by survivors of the Donner Party to relate the experiences of that ill-fated group as they endured horrific circumstances on their way to California in 1846-47.

Twelve-year-old Austin Ives writes letters to his younger brother describing his three-thousand-mile journey from their home in Pennsylvania to Oregon in 1851.

In 1848, while on a wagon train headed for Oregon, fourteen-year-old Francis Tucket is kidnapped by Pawnee Indians and then falls in with a one-armed trapper who teaches him how to live in the wild.

Relates the ordeals faced by a group of pioneers on their journey from Illinois to California in 1846.