Most would find this book boring. The names of men and mountains from 200 years ago can be unfamiliar and therefore uninteresting. I speak from experience.

But then the words of this book spark an imagining of the American West where no white man had ever trod, and you get a sense of the awe and even reverence this new breed of explorer felt in primordial lands.

Not to sound like some cheesy elementary school teacher, but, there is no better way to travel mentally into the past than by finding those sparkling words – and you can find them!

And they are worth the search!

This book made me realize that Army explorers had questions they were seeking answers to.

“What’s out there?

“How high are the mountains? What rivers flow from them and where do those rivers go?

“What’s the best path to traverse the land? By foot? By horse? By wagon? By railroad?

“What Indians live in the mountains and the plains? Are they hostile or friendly? How suitable to agriculture are their lands?

“What’s the mineral wealth of the land? Could every mountain become a gold rush?”

There are more questions the explorers asked themselves. Regardless, it is neat to get glimmers of how they saw the new lands.