First published in 1849 and later revised in several subsequent editions, Francis Parkman's The Oregon Trail is the definitive trail-journal. The author was 23 when he stepped on a steamer and began a two-month tour through the West, visiting Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Kansas. A historian, Parker was determined to articulate his trail experiences in the most informed manner possible, and his book was a best-seller. The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life is an important historical document and essential reading for students of the American West

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