In this online exhibition, students will learn about the exploration of the West through the use an interactive map, biographical sketches and brief descriptions of the expeditions undertaken by graduates of West Point. The U.S. Army played a key role in exploring the nation's vast new lands acquired through purchase and conquest during the first half of the nineteenth century. Military-scientific expeditions crisscrossed the West, mapping the country, gathering scientific data, identifying potential resources for exploitation, and surveying routes for roads and railroads. The Exploration Map is part of the online exhibition, West Point in the Making of America.