The Louisiana Purchase & the Exploration, Early History and Building of the West

The Louisiana Purchase by Ripley Hitchcock brings to life the journals of Lewis and Clark on their mission to explore the greatest land purchase in history. In a transaction that doubled the size of the United States, this book investigates not only the physical boundaries but the financial agreements between the United States and Napoleon Bonaparte, and the importance of New Orleans, Florida and the Missouri River in the western expansion of the United States. Lewis and Clarke’s descriptions of the “hunched back cows” (bison), massive grizzly bears, and the sheer size of the country they crossed in their search for the best route to the Pacific Ocean are remarkable. Also included are the entries of Pike and his military explorations throughout the central part of the Purchase. The author delves into the rapidly changing financial aspects and how they affected the expansion, from the fur trade inherited from the French, the discovery of gold and other minerals in the 1800’s, the “invention” of the Pony Express, to the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The Louisiana Purchase is an attempt by the author to give a simple, easy to understand narrative of an exciting and crucial part of American history.