Chapter 12 &13: Rocky Mountain Region and the Intermontane West

Great Basin

The Rocky Mountain and the Intermontane West made it a difficult terrain for the east to move into the west. California is on the the other side of the Rocky mountains. the Oregon trail was the iconic pathway used to cross over into the west coast. The trail pave a new road for many people looking for a way to strike it rich. With the Gold Rush many blaze their way through Oregon to California on a quick rich scheme.

Rain shadows are evident in this region causing arid to semiarid conditions east of California. Moist winds blows from the Pacific ocean and drops their precipitation on the west side of the Sierra Nevada leaving a dry zone in the east. Death Valley located in the Great Basin is a prime example.