The Oregon Trail was a roughly 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west. The trail was arduous and snaked through Missouri and present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and finally into Oregon.
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How did most pioneers get to Oregon?
They followed a route blazed by fur traders, which took them west along the Platte River through the Rocky Mountains via the easy South Pass in Wyoming and then northwest to the Columbia River. In the years to come, pioneers came to call the route the Oregon Trail.
How did the pioneers travel?
The safest way for the pioneers to travel was with a wagon train. They would pack their most treasured belongings, furniture, and what they needed for the journey into a covered wagon.Wagonmasters led the train, cowboys rode along and helped the wagons as they crossed tough terrain and rivers.
What did most pioneers travel in on their way on the Oregon Trail?
Between 1841 and 1869, hundreds of thousands of people traveled westward on the trail. Many of them traveled in large wagon trains using covered wagons to carry their belongings. The Oregon Trail began in Independence, Missouri and ended in Oregon City, Oregon.
How did the pioneers get across the Rocky Mountains?
The passes furnish a natural crossing point of the Rockies. The historic pass became the route for emigrants on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails to the West during the 19th century.
South Pass (Wyoming)
| South Pass | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 7,412 ft (2,259 m) |
| Traversed by | Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail, Wyoming Highway 28 |
How did they travel on the Oregon Trail?
Some people did not have wagons and rode horseback, while others went west with handcarts, animal carts, or even the occasional carriage. Farmland near Newberg, Oregon, in the Willamette River valley, the destination of tens of thousands of emigrants on the Oregon Trail.
Who were the first travelers on the Oregon Trail?
The first person to follow the entire route of the Oregon Trail was Robert Stuart of Astoria in 1812-13. He did so in reverse, traveling west to east, and in the process discovered the South Pass, so named because it was south of the pass Lewis and Clark followed over the Continental Divide.
Who traveled the Oregon Trail?
Early trailblazers. Portions of what was to become the Oregon Trail were first used by trappers, fur traders, and missionaries (c. 1811–40) who traveled on foot and horseback.
Who were the pioneers of the Oregon Trail?
Pioneer Companies and Trails
The first pioneer company to travel across the entirety of what was to become the Oregon Trail was the Wyeth–Lee Company. Nathaniel Wyeth (1802–1856) was very knowledgeable about western landscapes and tribes and suggested routes west as he set out with his first party of about 50 people.
What route did the pioneers take?
The Oregon Trail was a roughly 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west. The trail was arduous and snaked through Missouri and present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and finally into Oregon.
What did pioneers do at the end of the Oregon Trail?
Not too far past the end of the Barlow Road, the wagon trains camped a final time on the broad creekside meadow near the Willamette River. This spot, Oregon City’s Abernethy Green, marked the traditional End of the Oregon Trail.
How many traveled the Oregon Trail?
Between 1841 and 1866 about 350,000 people used what had become the most famous wagon route across America. It was no wonder that, in places, ruts along the Oregon Trail are still visible today.
Why did the pioneers travel west?
Pioneer settlers were sometimes pushed west because they couldn’t find good jobs that paid enough. Others had trouble finding land to farm.The biggest factor that pulled pioneers west was the opportunity to buy land. Pioneers could purchase land for a small price compared to what it cost in states to the east.
Do the Rocky Mountains go through Oregon?
They reach as far as Northwest Washington in the west and Northwest Wyoming in the east. In between, this section of the Rockies passes through parts of Montana, Oregon and Idaho.
Did Oregon Trail go through Colorado?
Colorado. A branch of the Oregon Trail crossed the very northeast corner of Colorado if they followed the South Platte River to one of its last crossings.Later settlers to much of what became the state of Colorado followed the Platte and South Platte rivers into their settlements there.
Where did the Oregon trail go?
The trail from Independence to Oregon City crossed portions of six present-day states. The first 16 miles were in Missouri, then the trail crossed into Kansas for 165 miles, Nebraska for 424 miles, Wyoming for 491 miles, Idaho for 510 miles and finally Oregon for 524 miles.
How long did it take pioneers to travel west?
The covered wagon made 8 to 20 miles per day depending upon weather, roadway conditions and the health of the travelers. It could take up to six months or longer to reach their destination.
Why did families travel the Oregon Trail?
Answer: While few women and children were part of the Gold Rush, families traveled together to Oregon to farm. Children were often born on the trail; parents sometimes died, leaving children to be cared for by other family members or members of the wagon train.
What did the pioneers eat on the Oregon Trail?
The mainstays of a pioneer diet were simple fare like potatoes, beans and rice, hardtack (which is simply flour, water, 1 teaspoon each of salt and sugar, then baked), soda biscuits (flour, milk, one t. each of carbonate of soda and salt), Johnny cakes, cornbread, cornmeal mush, and bread.
When was the Oregon Trail first traveled?
The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and trappers from about 1811 to 1840, and was only passable on foot or by horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho.
Where did the Oregon Trail cross the Snake River?
The Oregon Trail entered Idaho in the southeast corner of the state. At Fort Hall, it joined the Snake River, following the south bank until a crossing was reached near what is now known as Glenn’s Ferry. The route left Idaho near Fort Boise after winding through 500 miles of the state.
