John Charles Fremont

<p><span class="deck"> John Charles Frémont never succeeded in living up to his fame, yet he was one of America’s great explorers</span> </p>

<p>The shore line of Pyramid Lake, one of the West's great natural wonders, is steadily receding, robbed of the water it needs by a Bureau of Reclamation irrigation project.</p>

<p><span class="deck"> <span class="typestyle"> A low comedy for high stakes:</span> </span></p>

<p><span class="deck"> The tragic journey of the Donner Party</span> </p>

<p>A junior Army officer, acting on secret orders from the president, bluffed a far stronger Mexican force into conceding North America's westernmost province to the United States.</p>

<p>With five major exploring expeditions west of the Mississippi, John C. Frémont redefined the country — with the help of his wife’s promotional skills.</p>

<p>In a momentous couple of years, the young United States added more than a million square miles of territory, including Texas and California. </p>