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Lecture three "The Great American Desert" dealt with the exploration of the Great Plains by different cultures. We learned about when different cultures came to the plains and what was the reasoning behind coming and their overall missions. Each culture had their own perceptions and vision of the plains and had many different goals. The Spanish made their journey across the plains in the early 1540's in Coronado's Expedition. They were looking for wealthy Indian civilizations and had no luck in finding these places. This was highly significant because it was the first European exploration of the plains. The Spanish were culturally inclined to like the plains but really lacked motivation to settle there. Many Spanish explorers followed Coronado, including Juan de Onate, Juan de Archuleta, Juan de Ulibarri, and Pedro de Villasur. Later came the French to plains looking to explore and trade. The French explored particular areas along the Mississippi River, and founded the city of New Orleans in 1718. Unlike the Spanish their primary focus was trade. Then in the 1800s the Americans began venturing into the plains with their mission being to find what resources were readily available. They soon realized the farming potential of the area. The last explorers of the plains were the British Canadians who came to develop and make a living in the plains. All of these cultures came for specific reasons and all came for different reasons.

What I found interesting about this lecture was the antiquities that were left behind by many cultures. Dr. Isern talked about the time pieces that were found in Kansas from the Coronado Explorations. I remember my grandparents telling me about Vikings mooring stones that were used to anchor their ships when the explorered what is now Minnesota. I was told that there is one in the lake that my cabin is one which is now underwater.