The Explorers of North America, 1492-1806The exploration of American, from Columbus to Lewis and Clark, is one of the great adventures in human history, not only for the legendary heroism and determination of the men who undertook it, but for their still larger enterprise in planting in this wild, new world the seeds of civilization. Professor Brebner, in this classic account - by far the best written of the opening of the new hemisphere - considers both of these aspects. Basing his research on the diaries, records, and journals of the explorers themselves, he note only traces their progress but reveals them as human beings against a huge panorama in the Spaniards - Ponce de Leon, Cortés, Coronado, de Soto - push forward from the South; the French - Cartier, Champlain, Jolliet, Marquette - move down from the North: British and Americans set out westward from the Atlantic; and the Russians come down from Alaska. Brebner tells of the conditions of travel in the wilderness, of the aims of the early explorers, of the Indians in their primitive state, and of the way in which the North American continent was crossed and recrossed and finally unveiled within three hundred years by intrepid men -- Back cover. |
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adventurers Atlantic Aztec began Brulé California Canada Canadian canoes Cartier century Champlain Churchill coast colony Columbus Company continent Cortés coureurs coureurs de bois Crees crossed discovery Dutch east England English enterprise European expedition exploration Father France French Frenchmen fur trade geographical Georgian Bay gold governor Groseilliers Gulf of Mexico Henry horses Hudson Bay Hudson's Bay Company Hurons Illinois Indians interior Iroquois island Jesuits Jolliet journey knew Lachine Lake Michigan Lake Ontario Lake Superior Lake Winnipeg land Lawrence Mackenzie Mandans miles Mississippi Missouri Montreal mountains mouth narrative natives North America North-West northern Ottawa Pacific passage portage Quebec Radisson reached region reported Río river route Saguenay sailed Salle Salle's Saskatchewan Sault seemed sent ships shore Sioux Soto south-west southern Spain Spaniards Spanish Strait Tadoussac tion tribes Vaca valley Vérendrye village vols voyage voyageurs western westward Winnipeg winter