What were the long lasting effects of exploration by the first American explorers of the west?
Well there were the reports by the explorers, such as Lewis and
Clark, that there was plenty of good land west of the Mississippi
River. So that brought about the Louisiana Purchase opening up the
Midwest to settlers. Eventually the purchase of the Oregon
territory, opening up the Pacific Northwest to settlers. Travel was
by foot, horse, wagon and oxen, eventually the railroads opened the
west more and more settlers. The lasting effect was the settling
and taming of the wild west.