This site highlights 32 historic places in this community located 14 miles north of California at the foot of Mt. Ashland. These places together illustrate the development of Ashland from a small transportation and farming center founded in 1852 into a community with a strong cultural identity.

This site features documents, maps, and images for learning about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the growth of regionalism, the Amistad case, Lincoln's spot resolutions, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the petition of Amelia Bloomer regarding suffrage in the West, migration north to Alaska, and the Sioux Treaty of 1868.

This site consists of letters, journals, books, newspapers, maps, and images documenting the land, peoples, and exploration of the trans-Appalachian West. The first European travelers, their relations with Native Americans, new settlers' migration and acquisition of land, navigation down the Ohio River, planting of crops, trade in tobacco and horses, and the roles of African Americans, women, churches, and schools are documented.

This site features the small subsistence farms, or ranchos, created by Hispanos, early Spanish settlers of New Mexico, during the 1800s in the mountain valleys of the Pecos and Mora rivers. Houses were built from the same adobe used to construct Indian pueblos and Spanish missions, with decorative details added based on architectural fashions brought to New Mexico after it became a U.S. territory in 1851. Irrigation ditches were dug and regulated by rules dating back centuries.

This site features 30,000 photos of Colorado towns and landscapes that document the role of mining in the history of Colorado and the West. Photos of Native Americans from more than 40 tribes are included.

This lesson recounts efforts to improve homesteading laws and make land ownership possible for more settlers. The distribution of government lands had been an issue since the Revolutionary War. Preemption -- settling the land first and paying for it later -- became national policy; however, supporting legislation was stymied until the secession of Southern states. See one of the first applications for land under this law. Teaching activities are included.

This lesson helps students examine the motivations of people who traveled west during the 1800s, as well as the conditions they encountered, the conflicts between settlers and native people, and policies of the federal government. Students interpret first person narratives and choose a role for in-depth study -- a gold miner, fur trader, pioneer family, Native American, or explorer.

This site offers maps, manuscripts, timelines, and photos related to the famed expedition. It includes resources for learning about Meriwether Lewis, Sacagawea, Congress's role in the Louisiana Purchase, and Thomas Jefferson's life-long commitment to western exploration.

This lesson encourages students to study a variety of documents to understand the impact of a particular piece of legislation and relates to the powers granted to Congress in Article I, Section 8 , of the Constitution, related to making laws. It correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with with history, government, global studies, and music.

This is an exhibit about a place which, throughout the 19th century, served not only as a house of justice, but also as a public gathering place for pioneers planning their westward trek across the plains. Its iron-framed dome was the forerunner of many similar domes erected on government buildings throughout the country. The site contains maps, readings, photos, drawings, as well as a guide for doing a student project.

Through literature, both fiction and nonfiction, the learner will develop an understanding of and an appreciation for: Why pioneers left their homes and families to journey west; The hardships pioneers faced on the journey and as they built a new life on the frontier; Family life on the frontier; Building a community; Destruction of the way of life of the Plains Indians and their forced movement to reservations; Effects the pioneers had on the natural environment.

This site illustrates the story of settlement on the Great Plains. Family letters of one homesteader express personal insight into the joy, despair, and determination in his struggle to establish a home on the prairie.

Native Americans responded to U.S. expansion policy in different ways. By incorporating Internet resources and working in groups, students will participate in a game show to share the information they have uncovered in a fast-paced, competitive environment. At the end of the game, the winning team receives a prize.

This site offers progress report surveys for individual railroad lines, official government surveys, promotional maps, maps showing land grants and rights-of-way, and route guides published by commercial firms illustrate the growth of travel and settlement as well as the development of industry and agriculture in the United States.

This is a collection of 50 books written in the 19th century that offer travelers' impressions of various parts of the U.S. or western territories.

We Are California is the first-ever website devoted to the history of California immigration and migration, and the first-ever website where Californians can tell their own coming-to-California stories. We invite you to explore the remarkable stories of your fellow Californians — past and present — and to add your own — or your family’s — "We Are California" story.

This selection of items from Mystic Seaport's archival collections includes logbooks, diaries, letters, business papers, and published narratives of voyages and travels. The unique maritime perspective of these materials offers a rich look at the events, culture, beliefs, and personal experiences associated with the settlement of California, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest. A number of photographs, paintings, maps, and nautical charts are also included to illustrate the story of Americans’ western seaborne travel. Various themes are touched upon, including whaling, life at sea, shipping, women at sea, and native populations.