The United States of America stretches from sea to shining sea. It is a civilized and cultivated land of modern convenience, state of the art medical care, and abundant food. Yet, when the first English settlers landed in the 1500s the land was wild and dangerous and the population sparse. America appeared to the white men to be "a forest standing in water." This is the story of the brave men and women who carved out a nation from the untamed wilderness. Those who risked everything they had to give you and I the opportunities we have today!