The Oregon Trail

Why Oregon? Pioneers traveled to Oregon for several reasons including: to find fertile farmland, to bring Christianity to the Native Americans, for business and trade opportunities, and to head to California for gold. Most gold seekers came overland along this trail but many others came from Mexico, South America, Europe, Asian, and Australia.

What was the Oregon Trail? “Oregon fever” began in the early 1840s and lasted until 1869 when the transcontinental railroad made traveling across the country quicker and easier. The Oregon trail began along the Mississippi River in Missouri and followed 2,000 miles across the continent. After making it through the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, pioneers followed the Columbia River into Oregon Country (modern day Washington and Oregon).

Map

What was the Oregon Trail? The trip west lasted five or six months. Pioneers began in the spring in order to complete the trip before winter snows blocked the mountain passes. The trail crossed difficult terrain and the pioneers walked across plains that seemed like they would never end, forded through lively rivers, and climbed up high mountains.

What was the Journey Like? Do you think the travel along the Oregon trail was easy? NO!! Dangers included: fierce animals, attacks by Native Americans, difficult weather, dangerous terrain, robbery, and disease. About one out of every ten pioneers died on the trail from either disease, overwork, hunger, or accidents.

Life on the Trail The Oregon Trail was the only practical corridor to the entire western United Sates. One in Ten died along the route. Many of the settlers walked the entire 2000 miles The main enemy was disease. In the early years it took 7 months to get to Oregon but as the road improved it was shortened to 5 months.

Waiting: By mid April, the prairie outside these jump off cities The Starting Point The Jumping off cities included Independence (most popular) and St. Joseph, Missouri. Waiting: By mid April, the prairie outside these jump off cities was packed with emigrants. They were all waiting for the grass to grow. Supplies: A family of four would need a thousand pounds of food to sustain them on the four month journey.

                                                                                                                           Independence. The most popular “jumping off” point.

Supplies In order to successfully complete the journey, you would need: one or two sturdy wagons, 6- 10 oxen, plenty of clothes, 1-2 milk cows, 600 pounds of flour, 120 pounds of biscuits, 400 pounds of bacon, 60 pounds of coffee, 4 pounds of tea, 100 pounds of sugar, and 200 pounds of lard, plenty of rice, beans, and dried fruit, utensils, furniture, stoves, guns, and farming/household supplies.

Wagons: The wagon box measured only 4’X10’ and most emigrants loaded them to the brim. By late April the grass was long enough and off they went. Congestion: Because there was a mad rush to leave congestion on the trail was a problem. Overpacking: Only a few miles on the trail the emigrants real- ized they had overloaded their wagons and started throwing things out. Scavengers from the jump off towns picked up and resold the stuff.

Wagons 18 feet long 11 feet high 4 feet wide Curved floor to prevent cargo from spilling Tough, white canvas cover

Horse, Mule, or Oxen? Horses were quickly rejected because they could not live off prairie grass along the way. Most of the emigrants decided on the oxen because they were strong, could live off grass or sage and were less expensive. “The oxen is a most noble animal, patient, thrifty, durable, gentile and does not run off… The ox will plunge through mud, swim over streams, and eat almost anything.” wrote one emigrant.

Hardships Along the Way Rivers were a constant source of distress for the pioneers. Hundreds of people were drowned on the Kansas, North Platt, and Columbia Rivers. Ferrymen charged exorbitant rates to take people across the rivers. Because most people grossly overloaded their wagons, they were forced to walk the 2000 miles to Oregon. The wagons did not have any safety features. If someone fell under the massive wheels they were killed instantly. “A little boy fell over the front end of the wagon during our journey. The wheels rolled over the child’s head crushing it” wrote Edward Lenox

Thunderstorms, flash floods, and hail storms were also a problem. The biggest problem for the emigrants was cholera (caused by drinking and eating contaminated food) for which there was no cure. Often the emigrant would go from healthy to dead in a matter of hours. Sometimes they received the proper burial but often they were left in their beds along the trail to die. In a bad year some wagon trains lost 2/3 of their people. “We camped at a place where a women had been buried and the wolves dug her up. Her hair was their with the comb still in it. She had been buried to shallow.”

Early Settlers John Jacob Astor of New York established the American Fur Company. Beaver skins were in great demand because the fur was used to make hats which were very popular at the time, especially in Europe.

Early Settlers Mountain men such as Jedidiah Smith were men who knew how to live in the Oregon wilderness and trap beavers. Many of them had Native American wives and adopted native ways of life. These men had to be skillful and resourceful to survive. One man once held his hands “in an anthill until they were covered with ants, then greedily licked them off.”

Famous Travelers California: The Donner Party was a group of 87 pioneers who became trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and ultimately resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. Only 47 survived. James Marshall and John Sutter built a sawmill on the American River (present day Sacramento). Marshall saw something glowing in the water and before long the secret was out! The Forty-Niners were the people who arrived from all over in 1849 looking for gold!

Trail of the Donner Party