In the early 1880's, the unknown American West lured travellers, explorers and spiritual seekers from around the world. These explorers were the pathfinders of the Oregan trail, the Santa Fe trail and the California trail. They discovered the ruins of ancient cliff-dwellers, the wonders of Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, Grand Teton and Canyonlands. This book is a documentation of these expeditions. The records of the expeditions, by Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, John Fremont, John Powell and others, exist only in their notebooks, journals and diaries. Following these records, photographers have returned to the original locations at the same time of day and season of the year, to document the sites. These large format, colour photographs, juxtaposed with the travellers' manuscripts, letters and sketchbooks, recreate the expeditions. Also featured are the explorers' own maps, revealing what they thought they were doing, along with modern accurate maps depicting their real progress.