The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the actual Pacific Railway Act, designed to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.

A few pages from the journal of Narcissa Whitman who was a missionary in the Oregon Country. She was later murdered along with her husband at the Whitman massacre.

Part of the PBS site, "The West," this link gives a general explanation of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Links to biographies.

Provides detailed information on the Nez Perce campaign and the capture of Chief Joseph in an eyewitness account by Charles Erskine Scott Wood, aide to General Howard.

PBS presents a biography on the life of Stephen Fuller Austin. Known as "The Father of Texas," Stephen F. Austin established the first Anglo-American colony in the Teas province of Mexico and saw it grow into an independent republic.

PBS site detailing the Whitmans' journey to Oregon country, their establishment of a mission, and their death at the hands of the Indians. Also includes some background information.

This brief summary covers major aspects of Polk's presidency, including his support of Andrew Jackson's policies.

Buffalo Bill Cody, whose life lent itself to myth-making, helped define the American West. Read this biography about the man from PBS' series on The West.

This site from PBS provides a short description and map of "the Indian Territory set aside by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the areas designated for each tribe."

Contains selections from "With the Nez Perces: Alice Fletcher in the Field, 1889-92" by E. Jane Gay, which provided an anthropological look at the Nez Perce Indians and their bewilderment at the Dawes Act.

This article focuses on the massacre of Chief Big Foot and his followers at the Massacre of Wounded Knee.

Biography of John Sutter, a Swiss settler who helped to develop Californian and saw his fortunes dwindle after the California Gold Rush.

A brief biography of James Marshall who discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, which led to the California Gold Rush.