In 1851 twelve-year-old Sarah is a free Black, happy living with her parents, grandparents, and brother on their own farm in Iowa; but her father has been bitten by the gold bug and wants to take the trail west to California, and after some argument it is decided that the grandparents will stay on the farm, but the rest of the family will go; the journey will be difficult and dangerous, but if they survive extreme weather, difficult terrain, illness,...

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

Joins the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the spring of 1804 as they set out to explore the Louisiana Purchase. Includes highlights and directions to historical points of interest.

Traces the history of the Oregon Trail and describes the hardships faced by the settlers who followed it.

Briefly discusses American westward expansion in the 1800s, with related projects and activities, such as making a small covered wagon, flatboat house, trail journal, and lantern.

In 1856, 3,000 Mormons, most of them impoverished immigrants, trudged from Iowa to Utah. More than 220 of them perished along the way. Roberts offers the dramatic story of this disaster--a catastrophe, the author contends, that Brigham Young might have easily prevented.

"Lewis & Clark's expedition ventures deeper into the heartland, where the discovery of a new arch leads them to make first contact with an unbelievable civilization that's like nothing else on Earth.".