During the early 1800s, American merchants and fur trappers established trails that brought a flood of new settlers to the Far West in the 1840s and 1850s

THE PROMISE OF TRADE: –U.S. contact with the Far West – territory west of the Mississippi River – began in the 1790s –At that time, New England mariners sailed around South America and up the Pacific Coast to trade with the coastal communities of California –People in these communities in California wanted American Manufactured Goods –American traders did not want to be arrested for violating the Spanish ban on foreign trade, at this point California belonged to Spain, so they seldom ventured far inland

THE PROMISE OF TRADE: –Mexico gained it’s independence from Spain in 1821 and the Mexican government was eager to encourage trade with the United States to improve the Mexican Economy One American Merchant, William Becknell, in which he made huge profits trading his merchandise. He blazed a Trail westward from Missouri to Santa Fe, in what is now New Mexico,. His success encouraged other American Merchants to follow the 780-mile-long Santa Fe Trail

THE PROMISE OF TRADE: –Fur trappers, or Mountain Men, also came to the Far West for commercial reasons Beaver pelts, used to make men’s hats, were in great demand in the United States in the early 1800s. With help from Native Americans who served as guides, interpreters, and pet processors, mountain men extended the fur trade to new areas in the west Some made a lot of money

THE PROMISE OF TRADE: –The fur trade was most profitable in the Rocky Mountains – along the Missouri River and its tributaries – where William Ashley had developed the rendezvous system – a method of doing business –Rendezvous system – William Ashley recognized that transporting furs out of the Rockies was expensive. To cut costs, he persuaded some trappers to remain in the mountains full-time and gather once a year to sell their furs and purchase supplies. This system reduced expenses and therefore increased profits

SETTLING OREGON COUNTRY ( ) –Oregon Trail: this route followed the Platte River across the Great Plains to the Rockies. It descended into Oregon along the Snake and Columbia Rivers –This was created by Fur Trappers

SETTLING OREGON COUNTRY ( ) –Farmers and Missionaries (330) The Oregon Trail particularly interested farming families who wanted to settle in Oregon Country’s Willamete Valley Many missionaries were also attracted to the area, but not for farming The missionaries saw the region as fertile ground for converting American Indians to Christianity In 1833, a Methodist newspaper, the Christian Advocate and Journal, published a request for missionaries to teach the Christian faith to American Indians of Oregon Country Narcissa Prentiss Whitman was one of the early Protestant missionaries in Oregon

SETTLING OREGON COUNTRY ( ) –Political Impact: ( ) Great Britain and the United States had jointly occupied the Oregon Country since James K. Polk stunned and angered the British by proclaiming America’s right to all of Oregon Country below the 54*40’ parallel With “Fifty-four forty or fight” as his slogan, Polk declared the United States would soon possess all of Oregon, up to the southern border which is now Alaska After intense negotiations, the two sides reached an agreement in June They would extend the U.S. border to the 49 th parallel. The agreement also allowed the British to Keep Vancouver Island

TRAVELING THE OREGON TRAIL ( ) –During the 1840s and 1850s, thousands of families followed the overland trail to Oregon, which officially became U.S. Territory in –Most organized themselves into large wagon trains to meet the challenges of the journey –Traveling in large groups helped the pioneers deal with such obstacles as deep mud, heavy snow, rain-swollen rivers, and ravines –It also aided them in repairing broken equipment and defending themselves

TRAVELING THE OREGON TRAIL ( ) –The Difficult Journey ( ) Some overland trips ended in tragedy: For example, the Donner party broke off from the Oregon Trail to head to California. The group became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada during the winter on Some 42 members of the Donner party died in the mountains Even under the best circumstances, travelers on the Oregon Trail faced a long, difficult, and extremely dangerous journey

TRAVELING THE OREGON TRAIL ( ) –American Indians on the Trail (333) American Indians often helped pioneers on the overland trails Although eastern newspapers played up reports of American Indian “massacres,” fewer than 400 pioneers lost their lives in Indian attacks between 1840 and 1860 Well-defended wagon trains were hard to attack, and most American Indians probably knew that the majority of travelers were only crossing Indian lands to settle somewhere farther west

TRAVELING THE OREGON TRAIL ( ) –American Indians on the Trail (333) Settlers still feared the possibility of being attacked by Native Americans Responding to the above fears, the U.S. government held a conference with the Great Plains nations in Wyoming This meeting was called the “Treaty of Fort Laramie.” This Treaty said each nation at the conference agreed to remain in a defined territory, pledged not to attack settlers moving west, and allowed the U.S. government to build roads and forts in its territory In return, the United States promised to make annual payments to American Indians and to honor each nation’s territorial boundaries

CONFLICT IN OREGON ( ) –U.S. settlers posed problems for American Indians in Oregon Country –During the 1830s and 1840s, contact between the two groups resulted in the spread of measles, smallpox, and other diseases that killed many American Indians –The settlers and their livestock also destroyed wildlife that the Indians depended on for survival

CONFLICT IN OREGON ( ) –As more people from the United States poured onto American Indian lands, some nations decided to fight back

THE MORMONS IN UTAH (334) –Led by Brigham Young, thousands of Mormons began to migrate to the Mexican territory of Utah in –This migration increased when Utah became a U.S. possession in 1848

THE MORMONS IN UTAH (334) –Mormon settlers constructed a system of canals to irrigate and farm the territory’s arid desert soils. –They built schools, meetinghouses, and homes on a cooperative basis. Such efforts helped the Mormons attain a high level of economic, political, and religious independence. –Federal Government of the United States had tensions with the Mormons The Federal Government disliked Brigham Young’s practice of appointing Mormon leaders to high offices in the territorial government. Officials also disapproved on the Church’s policy of allowing men to have more than one wife at the same time The Federal Government got even more upset when it learned that the Mormons helped the American Indians in the attack of a wagon train of non-Mormon settlers.