Unit 9: Westward Expansion Lesson 3: The Oregon Trail

What was the Oregon Trail? A trail that led to the Oregon Country That’s helpful The Oregon Country included today’s states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming, Montana, & Canada

The Rocky Mountains formed the eastern border, while the Pacific Ocean formed the western border

What was special about this area? At first, its fur-bearing animals For hundreds of years, it was fashionable for Europeans & North Americans to wear hats made of beaver pelts Because of the high demand, fur trappers had exhausted the supply of beaver in all of the streams they knew

In the early 1800s, a few trappers crossed the Mississippi River to find more places to hunt Some of them ended up in Oregon Country

Who did the Oregon Country belong to? 4 countries tried to take control of the Oregon Country: 1. the U.S. 2. England 3. Spain 4. Russia Of these countries, the U.S. & England were the most determined to control the land

Why did the British think the land belonged to them? Englishman Sir Francis Drake visited the coast of Oregon in 1579 Also, a member of English Captain George Vancouver’s crew navigated a river part of the way through Oregon in 1792

Why did we think the land belonged to us? In 1792, sea captain Robert Gray sailed the Columbia River & gave it its name In 1805, Lewis & Clark reached the mouth of this river By 1807, American fur traders had set up trading posts all along the route of Lewis & Clark’s expedition (They were competing with British traders who pushed into Oregon from Canada)

Agreement with England In 1818, the U.S. & England agreed to share the Oregon Country for 10 years Under the agreement, British & American citizens would enjoy equal rights With few settlers in the region, Spain & Russia gave up their claims in 1825

Mountain Men wanted to secure their claims in Oregon British & American fur-trading companies wanted to secure their claims in Oregon They needed young men to serve as camp keepers (cook & guard the camps) They also needed trappers These “rough” explorers became known as mountain men

The Life of a Mountain Man It was hard & lonely Most of them traveled with little more than a “possibles sack” Small leather pouch holding a tool for stitching leather, a mold for making lead musket balls, and a surgeon’s lance for digging out bullets

6-8 heavy iron traps on his back During the spring trapping season, a mountain man might haul 6-8 heavy iron traps on his back To set the traps, he had to wade in the near-freezing streams

When his hunting efforts came up empty, he went to bed hungry

Mountain men learned many of their trapping skills & survival methods from Native Americans Many of them ended up marrying Native American women Speaking of wedding…

In the summer, trappers would meet traders from Missouri who bought the trappers’ furs In turn the traders sold them supplies (though the supplies were very expensive)

in winter camps of up to 60 men Because mountain streams froze between October & March, & thus they couldn’t hunt beaver in the streams, trappers would gather in winter camps of up to 60 men They hunted during the day, & at night they huddled around fires in buffalo-hide lodges & told stories

What were the mountain men good for besides hunting for fur? They opened the door for settlement of the West Before long, covered wagons started showing up in their camps Coinciding with the arrival of these settlers was a fashion change that put the mountain men “out of business”  Fashionable sheep

In the late 1830s & the 1840s, people stopped wearing beaver hats The mountain men then needed to find other work Some became farmers Others became guides for wagon trains

The route that the former mountain men knew best- the Oregon Trail- soon became a major highway across the continent It extended from Independence, Missouri to the Columbia River in Oregon

Oregon Fever At first, settlers came to Oregon slowly, in small numbers Eventually, though, stories made their way back east & became very exaggerated Easterners who wanted to see such things as 5ft-wide turnips got the itch to head to Oregon

Between 1840 & 1860, more than 60,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail The trip began at jumping-off places like Independence, Missouri

Jumping-off places were where families stocked their lightweight covered wagons & hitched them to teams of oxen Several families then formed a wagon train Each wagon train elected a leader to make decisions on the trail

Timing was Important Most wagon trains left Independence, MO in May, when enough spring grass covered the plains to feed the oxen They then had 5 months to get across the Rockies If they arrived later, they might freeze to death

Day-to-Day Life on the Trail After starting at dawn, the oxen would move along at about 2mph Near dusk the men would start searching for water & grass When they found both, they drew the wagons into a circle

While the animals grazed & the men stood guard, the women fried bacon & baked biscuits over fires fueled by buffalo chips (dried manure)

When the wagons reached deep rivers or steep mountains, families had to lighten their loads They’d dump barrels, clothing, trunks, spades, & anything else that would slow them down

The “Roadside Telegraph” The emigrants helped each other by leaving messages on boards, rocks, tree trunks, & animal skulls beside the trail These messages saved some people’s lives by warning them about dead-end shortcuts or poison water holes

Hundreds of travelers never made it to Oregon Some turned back or settled on the plains Many died of diseases like cholera & smallpox Others drowned in rivers or died in accidents Graves & the carcasses of dead animals lined the trail

Relations with Native Americans For the most part, Native Americans traded with the travelers & tried to help them out Some provided them with horses, clothing, & fresh food Others guided them through difficult parts of the trail

There were very few incidents of violence between wagon trains & Native Americans Diseases were the major danger for the settlers

Annexing Oregon Eventually, many Americans wanted to annex, or add, Oregon to the U.S. James K. Polk, who was elected President in 1844, agreed with them

Oregon Country becomes the Oregon Territory, then the state of Oregon Polk began negotiations with the British, and Oregon became a territory in 1848 Then, in 1859 it became a state This transfer of territory occurred without bloodshed The upcoming acquisition of Texas, though, would not be nearly as peaceful