This classic history is filled with colorful pathmarkers like Jedediah Smith, John C. Frémont, and Kit Carson; with packers, home seekers, and mail couriers; and with horse thieves and enslavers of Indian women and children.
Really great book about the lesser known of the great overland routes to the west. Highlight for me was the excellent and entertaining diary of Pratt at the end. Hafen does a great job of presenting his research in an engaging and intersting way throughout