What Were The Motivations For Moving West? Gold rush and mining opportunities (silver in Nevada) The opportunity to work in the cattle industry; to be a “cowboy” Faster travel to the West by railroad; availability of supplies due to the railroad. The opportunity to own land cheaply under the Homestead Act. What were the motivations
What Were The Sturdy Vehicles With White Tops Used To Move West Called? Conestogas were too heavy to be pulled such long distances, and west-bound travelers turned instead to the sturdy covered wagons known as prairie schooners or “Western wagons.” These had flat bodies and lower sides than the Conestoga; their white canvas covers made
Why Was The Mormon Migration Important? The Mormon migration is significant as Young successfully migrated thousands of Mormons to the Great Salt Lake, even though they travelled off the Oregon Trail. It is useful to compare this migration to that of the Donner Party in order to understand what made a successful migration. Why was
Why Is The Significance Of The Frontier In American History Important? The environment of the frontier was so strong that it created a tradition of self-sufficiency that is distinctly American and promoted a composite American nationality. People from many countries moved west, resulting in a melting pot of cultures and a multicultural American identity. What
What Was One Reason Pioneers Started To Move West? As a new country, the United States boasted freedom and opportunity, particularly in the West, where there were vast expanses of land and, later, rumors of gold. Many pioneers moved west hoping to own land and start fresh. When did the pioneers move west? Some pioneers
How Many Died In The Martin And Willie Handcart Companies? A modern historian counted 67 deaths in the Willie Company, a rate of around 14 percent, and 135 to 150 in the Martin Company, a rate of around 25 percent of the company’s members. It was by far the worst non-military disaster on the emigrant
Why Was Independence Missouri MO A Good Starting Place For The Oregon Trail? The Oregon Trail: Independence. Missouri River flows into the Mississippi, the town of Independence grew rapidly as a trading post. By the 1840’s, it was the most popular “jumping off” point for pioneers to stock their wagons with supplies before heading out
What Happened To The Surviving Members Of The Donner Party? What Happened to the Survivors? Most of the Donner party who lived through the ordeal enjoyed long and productive lives. Teenager Mary Murphy had lost her mother and five other family members, but within one month of reaching Johnson’s Ranch, she married William Johnson, co-owner
Who Told The Donner Party About The Shortcut? Lansford Hastings was an ambitious attorney who saw the promise in California and Oregon years before the Gold Rush sent thousands of fortune-seekers out west. In the early 1840s, he spent time in the future states. WHO warned the Donner Party? Lansford Hastings was an ambitious attorney
Who Explored The Oregon Trail? The two men most frequently associated with the Oregon Trail are Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. In 1803, President Jefferson secretly asked Congress to fund an expedition to explore the uncharted western part of the continent. Who first discovered the Oregon Trail? Robert Stuart of the Astorians (a group of