A frontier is a region at the edge of a settled area of a country.
An era is a period of time.
Euro-Americans are Americans with European ancestors (“whites”).
People had been living in North Dakota for thousands of years before Euro-Americans came to the area.
The most powerful European nations (Great Britain, France, Spain) claimed possession of the land in North America.
France claimed all the land drained by the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Louisiana was named after the king of France, Louis XIV.
The southwestern portion of North Dakota was part of the Louisiana Territory.
Fur became valuable because it was used in European fashions.
Pierre La Vérendrye was one of the first non-Indians to record a visit to present-day North Dakota. He believed there was a water route leading to the Pacific Ocean.
David Thompson came to North Dakota about 50 years after La Vérendrye.
The British fought against the French in the “French and Indian War.” Indians helped the French.
The eastern and northern parts of North Dakota went to Great Britain after the French and Indian War.
David Thompson, a surveyor and map maker, has been called “The Greatest Land Geographer of All Time.”
Napoleon Bonaparte, leader of France, sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States for less than three cents an acre.
The size of the United States more than doubled with the addition of the Louisiana Territory.
Thirteen states or parts of states were created from the Louisiana Territory.
The southwestern portion of North Dakota was part of the Louisiana Purchase and became part of the United States.
