USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Indigenous people Since the last great ice age, the Rocky Mountains were home first to indigenous peoples including the Apache, Arapaho, Bannock, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Coeur d’Alene, Kalispel, Crow Nation, Flathead, Shoshone, Sioux, Ute, Kutenai (Ktunaxa in Canada), Sekani, Dunne-za, and others.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Rocky Mountains were more formidable barriers to travel than the Appalachians because the Rockies are in general more than twice as tall as the Appalachians. The major pass through the Rockies for travelers in the nineteenth century was South Pass in Wyoming. The Oregon Trail took this route.

Detailed explanation-3: -In 1793, Sir Alexander MacKenzie became the first European to cross the Rockies. He was followed years later by the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, which became the first scientific reconnaissance of the mountain region.

Detailed explanation-4: -Once they embarked, settlers faced numerous challenges: oxen dying of thirst, overloaded wagons, and dysentery, among others. Trails were poorly marked and hard to follow, and travelers often lost their way. Guidebooks attempted to advise travelers, but they were often unreliable.