Question

In the early decades of the nineteenth century, "mountain men" such as Jedediah Smith and Jim Beckwourth explored the western United States and earned a living by trapping animals for their fur. How did they contribute to westward expansion?
A.
They established outposts that would later become towns.
B.
They blazed trails that later pioneers would follow.
C.
They surveyed land so it could be sold to farmers.
D.
They recruited workers to build the transcontinental railroad.

Answer 1

B.

Mountain men explored and mapped routes through the Rockies and across the West (e.g., South Pass, Beckwourth Pass). Their trails and knowledge of passes and water sources became the routes later settlers and wagon trains used during westward expansion.