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In lecture 3, "The Great American Desert", looked at the first European expeditions throughout the Great Plains. The Spanish were the first to explore the Southern Plains. Coronado explored the Southern Plains, in the Spanish quest for the Seven Cities of Cibola. Coronado's party stumbled upon the flat lands, while wandering aimlessly searching for the Seven Cities of Gold. The Spanish did not see any monetary value in the Great Plains, and decided to not to settle in the area. The French were the first to explore the Northern Plains. The French were more interested in the Fur Trade. French Explorers explored further north into present day Canada. The Verendrye expedition are the earliest known French expedition into the present day Dakotas. American Explorers consist of Lewis and Clark and Zebulon Pike. Lewis and Clark would be the first to explore the newly acquired American Northwest, traveling first through the Northern Plains. Pike would carefully explore and attempt to settle in the Southern Plains, by spying for both American and Spanish governments. The British Canadians did not really explore the Great Plains, but rather analyzed them for their agricultural purposes. Canadians like Hind's "fertile belt" proclaimed there was good agricultural land on the Canadian Plains; whereas Palliser's Triangle defined the arid plains below the "fertile belt".