Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West

Dreams of El Dorado traces the history of the American West from Lewis and Clark's early nineteenth-century expedition through the closing of the frontier in the early twentieth century. H. W. Brands presents the stories of explorers, mountain men, cowboys, missionaries, and soldiers, moving from John Jacob Astor's fur-trading operations in Oregon to the Texas Revolution, the California gold rush, and the Oklahoma land rush. Brands examines the contradictions underlying Western expansion and challenges established myths about the region. While the West is often portrayed as a proving ground for American individualism, it actually relied heavily on collective action and federal support more than other regions. The West brought out both exceptional heroism and severe violence in those who settled there. Though visions of wealth attracted generations of Americans westward, the promised riches remained difficult to obtain.