Westward Expansion

Santa Fe Trail: a historic route, established in the 1820s, from St. Louis in Missouri to Santa Fe in New Mexico. Merchants and settlers used it until the Santa Fe Railroad was built in the 1870s.

Oregon Trail: a route across the central and western U.S. used esp. from 1840 until 1860 by settlers moving west. It extends about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from Missouri to Oregon.

Lewis & Clark: the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition that explored the Louisiana Purchase from St. Louis in Missouri to the Pacific coast from 1803 until 1806.

The Pony Express: A mail service, which began around 1860, which provided communication for people from the east coast to the west coast. Young men delivered mail from one side of the country the other side in 10 days, riding, as fast as possible, on a horse.

Transcontinental Railroad: The first transcontinental railroad 

system in the United States was completed in 1869. It ran from the east coast to the west coast.