Part 1, pp. 23- 43 Summary and Analysis

In April 1834, Osborne Russell joins an expedition to the Rockies. Fifty men set out including independent trappers, scientists and missionaries. The expedition is led by Nathaniel Wyeth. They arrive in a couple of weeks to the Platte River. They cross the Platte River at a place called Red Buttes and head towards the northwest. On June 18th, they cross the continental divide, where on one side the water goes to the Atlantic, and the other side the water goes to the Pacific. They arrive at the Green River, by Ham's Fork, where on June 20th about six-hundred hunters meet, including men under contract with the American Fur Co. and the Rocky Mountain Fur Co. Wyeth has his large group march northwest past the Bear River to the Snake River. The party passes the Sheep Rock, a prominent...