Oregon Trail summary: The 2,200-mile east-west trail served as
a critical transportation route for emigrants traveling from Missouri to Oregon and other points west during the mid-1800s
.
What was the Oregon Trail used for?
The Oregon Trail was a roughly 2,000-mile route
from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon
, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west. The trail was arduous and snaked through Missouri and present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and finally into Oregon.
What was the purpose of the Oregon Trail quizlet?
The Oregon Trail was
a major route that people took when migrating to the western part of the United States
. Between 1841 and 1869, hundreds of thousands of people traveled westward on the trail. Many of them traveled in large wagon trains using covered wagons to carry their belongings.
Why was the Oregon Trail so important?
The Oregon Trail, which stretched for about 2,000 miles (3,200 km), flourished as the
main means for hundreds of thousands of emigrants to reach the Northwest from the early 1840s through the 1860s
. It crossed varied and often difficult terrain that included large territories occupied by Native Americans.
What was the main starting point of the Oregon Trail?
While the first few parties organized and departed from Elm Grove, the Oregon Trail’s primary starting point was
Independence, Missouri, or Kansas City (Missouri), on the Missouri River
.
How many died on the Oregon Trail?
Combined with accidents, drowning at dangerous river crossings, and other illnesses,
at least 20,000 people
died along the Oregon Trail. Most trailside graves are unknown, as burials were quick and the wagon trains moved on.
Can you still hike the Oregon Trail?
The 2,000-mile Oregon Trail was used by pioneers headed west from Missouri to find fertile lands. Today, travelers can
follow the trail along Route 66 or Routes 2 and 30
.
Which best describes the Oregon Trail?
The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile (3,490 km)
east-west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon
. … By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho.
Which of these was the greatest cause of death on the Oregon Trail?
Death was rampant on the Oregon Trail. Approximately one out of every tenth person who began the trip did not make it to their destination. These deaths were mostly in part to disease or accidents. Diseases ranged from a fever to dysentery, but the most deadly disease was
cholera
.
What were two challenges of traveling on the Oregon Trail?
The hardships of weather, limited diet, and exhaustion made travelers very vulnerable to infectious diseases such as
cholera, flu, dysentery, measles, mumps, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever
which could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp.
What are three facts about the Oregon Trail?
- The Oregon Trail didn’t follow a single set path. …
- A pair of Protestant missionaries made one of the trail’s first wagon crossings. …
- The iconic Conestoga wagon was rarely used on the Oregon Trail. …
- The trail was littered with discarded supplies. …
- 5 Myths About Slavery.
Why did pioneers go to Oregon?
There were many reasons for the westward movement to Oregon and California.
Economic problems upset farmers and businessmen
. Free land in Oregon and the possibility of finding gold in California lured them westward. … Most of the pioneer families either followed the Oregon-California Trail or the Mormon Trail.
What was the hardest part of the Oregon Trail?
Major threats to pioneer life and limb came from accidents, exhaustion, and disease.
Crossing rivers
were probably the most dangerous thing pioneers did. Swollen rivers could tip over and drown both people and oxen. Such accidents could cause the loss of life and most or all of valuable supplies.
Why didn’t most pioneers ride in their wagons?
Teams of oxen or mules pulled the wagons along the dusty trail. People didn’t ride in the wagons often,
because they didn’t want to wear out their animals
. Instead they walked alongside them, getting just as dusty as the animals. The long journey was hard on both people and animals.
What is the last stop on the Oregon Trail?
Oregon City
was the end of the trail for many because it was where land claims were granted for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming.
Who really blazed the Oregon Territory?
Three forgotten pioneers are the men who blazed the Oregon Trail;
Robert Gray, Wilson Price Hunt, and Robert Stuart
. It was Hunt and Stuart, not Lewis and Clark, who pioneered the route American settlers took the West Coast in the 19th Century.
