Explain the perception that easterners had of the West.

Stories of trappers like Jedidiah S. Smith depicting disastrous battles with the Mojaves and other tribes became exaggerated and popular. More important were the explorers dispatched by the US government with instructions to chart the territories they visited. Stephen H. Long (1819-20) led a group through what is now NE, CO, & KS and wrote an influential report on his trip including an assessment of the region's potential for future settlement and development.