In the year 1787, George Washington was President of the newly formed Government of the United States of America. The Capitol was located in New York City. The vast area west of the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River was acquired from Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1783. This area was bordered on the north by Canada and on the south by the Ohio River and encompassed the present day states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. The Government of Great Britain had claimed this territory and by the signing of numerous treaties the Indians living there had given up most of their rights to this land. The British forbid white settlement there to appease the Indians. At the end of the American Revolution, the United States now claimed this territory by “Right of Conquest” over Great Britain and with the creation of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 opened it up for white settlement against the protests of the Indians who still considered it their land. The first permanent American settlement northwest of the Ohio River was Marietta in the year 1788 and soon after more and more pioneers flooded into the country. It was not an easy life for these early pioneers. They had to deal with hostile Indians, disease, starvation and the lack of basic necessities, but they made it and the State of Ohio was admitted into the union in 1803. This book chronicles the events from the earliest explorations of the territory, the purchase of lands by The Ohio Company, the early settlements and the trying times of the early pioneers who settled and tamed this original Northwest Territory.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1890.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1866.

In 'Death Valley in '49', William Lewis Manly vividly recounts the harrowing experiences of a group of pioneers who found themselves stranded in Death Valley during the California Gold Rush. Manly's narrative style is straightforward and unembellished, allowing readers to connect with the raw emotions and challenges faced by the pioneers. The book serves as a valuable historical document, shedding light on the harsh realities of westward expansion and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Manly's first-hand account offers a unique glimpse into a significant chapter of California pioneer history, making it a compelling read for history enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike.

Based upon the famous Draper Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society, this transcription of original sources was conceived as a sequel to the Society's volume on Lord Dunmore's War of 1774. The documents selected by Thwaites and Kellogg pick up the story in March 1775 and continue through May 1777, essentially the first two years of the American Revolution. The sources shed light on the principal incidents and personalities of importance along the broad frontier that extended from the Greenbrier region of Virginia to Kittanning on the Upper Allegheny. The volume closes with the transfer of the command of Fort Pitt to General Hand signifying a milestone in American military history and in the history of westward expansion.