A glance at the map of the United States reveals the truth. To write of a "Western sectionalism," bounded on the east by the Alleghanies, is, in itself, to proclaim the writer a provincial.

Nearly 200 years later, the exact details of what became known as the Burr Conspiracy -- Aaron Burr's attempt to detach the Western states and the Louisiana Territory from the Union -- remain unknown.

A high-end atmospheric river will bring numerous weather threats to Western states this week, from heavy flooding rain and damaging gusty winds, to treacherous seas and prolific mountain snows.