The Oregon Country

The Lure of Oregon As people needed more farmland, they moved farther and farther west. The place where they moved became known as the Oregon Country, and today includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming Montana, and even Canada.

Competing Claims In the early 1800s, four countries claimed Oregon: the US, England, Spain, and Russia. Native Americans also claimed it, but who listens to them? The four countries decided that they were going to share Oregon (yeah right!)

Mountain Men In the beginning, fur trappers were the only ones adventurous enough to travel to Oregon. They became known as Mountain Men. They led rugged, adventure filled lives. Trapping was a good living…for a while. After a while, the trappers killed all the beavers. Also, beaver skin hats had gone out of style. Mountain men had to find another way to make money. Their solution was to become guides, and bring people to Oregon. Mountain men knew the area very well, and could show settlers where the trails were and where the good land was.

Review Questions Why were mountain men interested in living in the Oregon Country? How did mountain men contribute to the success of those traveling on the Oregon Trail.

Missionaries Missionaries were the first white settlers to come after the Mountain men. Missionaries like Marcus and Narcissa Whitman aimed to convert the Native Americans to Christianity. When the missionaries got lonely, they sent back glowing reports of Oregon. This intrigued people, and helped to start a massive movement to Oregon.

Review How did missionaries help attract settlers to Oregon? How were Native Americans like the Cayuse effected by the arrival of white settlers?

Wagon Trains As Oregon fever spread, pioneers clogged the trails west. Beginning in 1843, wagon trains left every spring for Oregon. They followed a route called the Oregon Trail that began in Independence, Missouri. They left in the spring because they had to reach Oregon by early October before the snow fell in the mountains.

Life on the Trail Many people would travel together to Oregon in what was known as a wagon train. It was hard work. The train only stopped for one meal per day. Settlers had to endure blistering heat, and extreme cold during their journey. At night, the wagon train formed itself into a circle. This protected them from raids, and stopped the cattle from wandering. Despite the hardships, more than 50,000 people reached Oregon between 1840 and 1860. Their wagon wheels cut so deeply into the plains that the ruts can still be seen today.

Review Why was it important for settlers to leave for Oregon in mid Spring? Create a list of problems settlers faced while traveling the Oregon Trail.