Product Review

They set out to conquer the west-and discovered a frontier that wouldn t surrender without a fight.

Long before superhighways spanned North America, westbound settlers lumbered across a dangerous continent by covered wagon or on foot in search of a new life. In this fascinating documentary, survivalist Ray Mears retraces the steps of the 19th-century travelers and discovers how the trip's rugged terrain and deadly hazards tested the pioneers.

Mears takes viewers across the seemingly impassable mountain ranges, sprawling grasslands, and arid deserts that confronted those who dared to make the journey. Along the way, he pans for gold, rides the range, and snacks on bear meat with locals who preserve the ways of life forged by one of history's largest human migrations. From the densely forested Appalachians to the windswept peaks of the Sierra Nevada, Mears ventures into parts of America that remain untamed to this day.

BONUS

16-page viewer's guide with a map of the settlers' routes west and articles on stagecoach services, how the west was wild, pioneering women's right to vote, little-known facts about cowboys, and Geronimo's art of war

Profiles of fascinating women of the west