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Rocky Mountains

Major mountain range in North America.

Also known simply as the Rockies, named for their rocky appearance and composition. The North American Continental Divide runs along the crest of the Rockies, designating the geological boundary from which all water flows either west into the pacific Ocean or east into the Atlantic.[1]

The Rocky Mountains was populated by American Indians since the ice age, inlcuding Apache, Cheyenne, Sioux, Ute and many others. Spanish explorers first entered the mountain range in 1540. In 1739, French fur traders came upon the mountains at the headwaters of the Platte River and were the first Europeans to report the Rockies' existence. Sir Alexander MacKenzie was the first European to cross the mountains in 1793. The Lewis and Clark Expedition first sighted the Rockies on April 28, 1805 and by October had crossed over them. Beginning in the 1840s, thousands of pioneers were passing through the Rockies along the Oregon Trail, and the Mormons began to settle the area near the Great Salt Lake in 1847. Gold seekers started prospecting in Colorado Territory on their rush to the California gold fields and in July of 1858, the first significant gold discovery in the Rockies near Pike's Peak and the Colorado Gold Rush began, establishing mining as the Rocky Mountains' first major industry.[1]

The Wrecker: In December of 1871,[2] Bart Maverick visited San Francisco for the first time to join Brother Bret in a business venture. On Bart's first night in town, Bret told him that when the night as over, Bart would wonder why there were any people still living east of the Rockies.[3]