Westward Expansion

American Archaeology Uncovers the Westward Movement

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American archaeologists uncover evidence of the Westward movement during the frontier period. Early immigrants traveled with a restless rhythm heading north, south, and west fearful of Native-Americans who stole horses and cattle. Discusses the Mexican town of Santa Fe where many goods were sold and several forts were built. Includes information on the Oregon Trail and the Lewis and Clark expedition.

American Archaeology Uncovers the Westward Movement

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997)

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Sent by the President Thomas Jefferson to find the fabled Northwest Passage, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the most important expedition in American history—a voyage of danger and discovery from St. Louis to the headwaters of the Missouri River, over the Continental Divide to the Pacific.

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

04:00

Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

Riding Freedom (Unabridged)

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Charlotte Parkhurst was raised in the mid-1800s and was expected to live her life without the freedoms she dreamed of. But Charlotte was smart and determined, and she figured out a way to live her life the way she wanted. She became an expert horse rider, a legendary stagecoach driver, and the first woman ever to vote - at a time when such things were outlawed for women.

Author:

Pam Munoz Ryan

Grade Level:

Elementary

Middle

Lexile:

720L

Length:

02:21

The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West (Unabridged)

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Cowboy stories and movies about the Wild West are full of amazing characters. Yet many of the lawmen we think of as heroes were anything but - some were violent scoundrels and outlaws themselves. Among all the lawmen of the frontier, one man stands out as a true hero: Bass Reeves.

Author:

Gary Paulsen

Grade Level:

Middle

Lexile:

950L

Length:

03:56

The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional Account of the Most Valiant Marshal in the West (Unabridged)

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (Unabridged)

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In the summer of 1849, Lucy Whipple's mother packs up her household and her two young children, and leaves their home in Massachusetts for the gold fields of California.

Author:

Karen Cushman

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Lexile:

1030L

Length:

04:56

Sarah, Plain and Tall (Unabridged)

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"I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall." A heartwarming story about two children, Anna and Caleb, whose lives are changed forever when their widowed papa advertises for a mail-order bride. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton from Maine answers the ad and agrees to come for a month.

Author:

Patricia MacLachlan

Grade Level:

Elementary

Lexile:

560L

Length:

01:02

Magic Tree House #10: Ghost Town At Sundown (Unabridged)

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Is this town haunted? Jack and Annie wonder when the Magic Tree House carries them to the Wild West. But before they can say "Boo!" they rush headlong into an adventure filled with horse thieves, a lost colt, rattlesnakes, and a cowboy named Slim. Will Jack and Annie have time to solve the next Tree House riddle? The answer may depend on a ghost!

Author:

Mary Pope Osborne

Grade Level:

Elementary

Lexile:

350L

Length:

00:51

Magic Tree House #10: Ghost Town At Sundown (Unabridged)

The American West (2005)

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An integral part of the changing American landscape in the late 19th century was the transformation of the West. The causes of the changes occurring in the West are explored, and the consequences for people living and moving there are assessed.

Grade Level:

Middle

High

Length:

00:30