"Folks" represent cultures which controlled and occupied or roamed geographical areas of the western U.S. at various times before and during the 1800-1850 period.

EXPLORERS - The western explorers are divided into the pre-1800, 1800-1822, 1823-1835, 1836-1845, 1846-1850 time frames. Prior to 1800 many explorers sailed, rode, hauled and walked all over the American West. Some recorded their adventures and even got published or made into heroes in their own time. More often, only scattered and incomplete evidence was left of their efforts. The 19th Century opened with the American West largely unknown except for a few river and coastal corridors. The expansion of the fur trade was the main driver for exploration after 1822. English and American companies were dominant except in California and Texas which remained in an almost dormant mode under Spanish rule. Texas independence, the attractiveness of Oregon after the collapse of the mountain fur trade, and the  rather lax governments of California by Mexico and Russia opened territory for detailed exploration by adventurers and restless or ruined eastern U.S. families. The last major explorations and recordings of the American West, before the emphasis on development, occurred as a result of the discovery of gold in California, the Mexican War, the Mormon exodus to Great Salt Lake, and the U.S. military expeditions to protect the vast number of new travelers.

INDIANS -  The native American Indians can be divided into five categories based on their environment of woodland, prairie, mountain, coastal, desert.  Woodland Indians in the west originated primarily from the forests and rivers east of the Mississippi River. some of them  moved out onto the prairies to join the few tribes inhabiting those areas. The prairies included flat or rolling terrain with tall grass, short grass and sage brush flora that supported vast numbers of fleet animals and predators. Mountain tribes hunted and gathered in the rocky Mountains and foothills. The coastal Indians flourished along the Texas and Pacific ocean coasts at the mouths of rivers teeming with fish and shellfish as their basis for existence. The most primitive tribes barely scratched out a living in the arid western deserts although the pueblo dwellers of the southwest remained in or near their formerly fertile homelands.

SPANISH -  The Spanish exploitation of North America included a search for gold that led north to New Mexico, Arizona and California. Expeditions led by soldiers were accompanied by the ever present missionaries and scores of basically peasant supporters. The failure to find riches relegated this area to frontier status for almost 300 years, leaving Spanish culture as a "brand" that remains today.  The territory was poorly defended against native predation and revolt, was occupied by a class of outcast farmers/ranchers, and was poorly served by the few merchants who were permitted to trade by the Spanish bureaucracies.  The missions in California were the only bright light in the early 1800's, but it too was dimmed by continual political bickering and slavery like treatment of the native Indians.

RUSSIANS - Hunting otter furs in west coast Alta California waters started in 1803 as an extension of Russian Aleutian and Alaskan operations. They established Fort Ross north of San Francisco with a large contingent of workers to keep the operation self sustaining from a material viewpoint. Relations with the Spanish to the south were rarely strained.

BRITISH - Traders, Settlers, Workers British interest in North America remained strong after their victory over the French in 1763. Trading in furs continued from Lake Superior to the mouth of the Columbia River in "Oregon." British settlers consisted of mixed-blood metis, retired HBC and NWC employees and a few hardy colonists. A smattering of artisans, clerks, and a government maintained by HBC factors, kept this "empire" solvent until 1846 when the 49th parallel was accepted as the northern U.S. boundary.

MORMONS - Persecution, The Trek, Desert Zion, Almost Empire The religious movement established by Joseph Smith was persecuted in the eastern U.S., Missouri, and Illinois unti Brigham Young decided to lead them to a new Zion in the west. The trek was started in 1846 from Nauvoo, IL and went via the Oregon Trail to establish a new colony and  headquarters in Salt Lake City UT. Concurrent with this trek a battalion of Mormon soldiers served in the Mexican War effort by enlisting and marching from Kansas to San Diego. The new desert colony thrived and expanded to include San Bernadino, California, settlements in Idaho and Nevada, and small outposts in Wyoming and Arizona. the expansion was temporary and collapsed as a result of clashes with the federal government.

RVNWEST is designed by R.J.Nelson at res18xko@verizon.net