Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life

This seminal firsthand account of an 1846 expedition along the Oregon Trail offers vivid insight into the American frontier at the height of westward expansion. Blending travelogue, ethnography, and historical observation, the narrative chronicles encounters with Native American tribes, rugged landscapes, and the hardships of overland travel. With sharp detail and reflective commentary, it captures the ambitions and tensions of Manifest Destiny and remains a cornerstone in the literature of the American West.