The Old West has been immortalized in countless Hollywood films, but what was life really like for settlers and Native Americans? Was it really as violent and dangerous as the movies make out? This book separates fact from fiction, uncovering the fights for survival and the grueling trials of the frontier. Trace the adventures that took people beyond the edge of the map in search of gold, new land and trade goods, from the exploration of Lewis and Clark to the challenges settlers faced on the Oregon Trail. Find out why Jesse James and his infamous gang robbed banks and trains and committed murder, how he met his grisly end and why he became a legend. Learn about Native American heroes, like Geronimo and Sitting Bull, who fought desperately to hold on to their ancestral lands in the face of unceasing encroachment from white settlers. Discover how the Battle of the Alamo helped shape a nation and why Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn still resonates today.