BIO: Many of the men and women who pioneered the development of the American West were Irish. John McLOUGHLIN, for example, is known to history as the "father or Oregon." He arrived there in 1824 as an agent of the Hudson's Bay Co. to manage its fur operations in the Oregon Territory. With no formal government there, McLOUGHLIN effectively ruled the region until 1846. Edward CREIGHTON (1820-1874), played a central role in developing the state of Nebraska. Born in Ohio to immigrant parents, he first worked as a wagon driver. Fascinated by the telegraph equipment he often carried, Creighton borrowed some money and went into the telegraph-building business. By the early 1860s he was building lines all across the Midwest, including parts of the of the first transcontinental telegraph line. Creighton grew rich on his shares in the Pacific Telegraph Co. and later expanded into railroads and banking. As Omaha's leading citizen, he helped establish many lasting public institutions and charities. Another prominent figure in the West was Thomas KEARNS (1862-1918), a hard-nosed adventurer born in Canada and raised in O'Neill, Nebraska. As a young man he headed for the mining district of South Dakota. Failing to strike it rich, he headed south to Tombstone, Arizona, and then on to Salt Lake City, Utah. In the early 1890s his Silver King Mine hit a huge vein of silver, making him a multimillionaire. He became the leading spokesman for Utah's non-Mormon population and served one term in the U. S. Senate. He later donated a considerable amount of his fortune to local Salt Lake City charities. -- Excerpts, "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History," Edward T. O'Donnell" (2002).