Description

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In 1807, a year after Lewis and Clark returned from the shores of the Pacific, groups of trappers and hunters began to drift West to tap the rich stocks of beaver and to trade with the Native nations. Colorful and eccentric, bold and adventurous, mountain men such as John Colter, George Drouillard, Hugh Glass, Andrew Henry, and Kit Carson found individual freedom and financial reward in pursuit of pelts. Their knowledge of the country and its inhabitants served the first mapmakers, the army, and the streams of emigrants moving West in ever-greater numbers. The mountain men laid the foundations for their own displacement, as they led the nation on a westward course that ultimately spread the American lands from sea to sea.

About the Author

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Robert M. Utley is a preeminent historian of the West and the author of numerous award-winning books, including The Last Days of the Sioux Nation; Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and the Indian, 1848–1865 (Nebraska, 1981); Custer and the Great Controversy: The Origin and Development of a Legend (Nebraska, 1998); and Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life (Bison Books, 1991).
 

Praise For…

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“The definitive study of the decisive role mountain men played in the exploration and expansion of the Western frontier. . . . Very readable and impressively detailed.”—New York Times Book Review

“[Utley’s] narrative of the trappers is entrancingly delivered. . . . A magnificent read.”—Booklist

“From a veteran historian of the West, a fine account of early American explorers. . . . A broad, vividly written work of historical reconstruction.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Reads like a well-spun novel.”—Wild West

“Robert Utley does a remarkable job in chronicling this unequaled segment of American history. He brings, with his easy-to-read style, the hazy images most of us have of obscure but nonetheless fearless heroes from our past into crystal clear focus.”—Southwest Book Views

“An authentic story that is anecdotal and very readable.”—Richard H. Dillon, True West Magazine

“Utley’s volume makes excellent reading. It is fast paced, entertaining, and very well researched. . . . Added to his already impressive list of books, After Lewis and Clark solidifies Utley’s reputation as one of the foremost scholars and entertaining writers on the West.” —Joe Knetsch, Journal of America’s Military Past