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.
What were the effects of the Oregon Trail?
Dangers on the Oregon Trail
According to the Oregon California Trails Association, almost one in ten who embarked on the trail didn't survive. Most people died of diseases such as
dysentery, cholera, smallpox or flu
, or in accidents caused by inexperience, exhaustion and carelessness.
What happened after the Oregon Trail?
Officially, according to an act of Congress, it begins in Independence, Missouri, and ends in Oregon City, Oregon. … Along the way, they could choose to take shortcuts or stick to the main trunk of the Trail, and the end of their journey didn't really come until they
settled a claim somewhere in the vast Oregon Country
.
What was the greatest cause of death on the Oregon Trail?
Emigrants feared death from a variety of causes along the trail: lack of food or water; Indian attacks; accidents, or rattlesnake bites were a few. However, the number one killer, by a wide margin, was
disease
.
Why was the Oregon Trail bad?
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.
How many years did the Oregon Trail last?
The Oregon Trail was a route used by people who traveled to Oregon Country, which is what Oregon was called before it became a state in 1859. The Oregon Trail was the most popular way to get to Oregon Country from about 1843 through
the 1870s
.
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.
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.
What was the most feared disease on the Oregon Trail?
While
cholera
was the most widely feared disease among the overlanders, tens of thousands of people emigrated to Oregon and California over the course of a generation, and they brought along virtually every disease and chronic medical condition known to science short of leprosy and the Black Death.
What was the most difficult 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.
What were the real enemies of the pioneers on the trail?
The real enemies of the pioneers were
cholera, poor sanitation and–surprisingly–accidental gunshots
. The first emigrants to go to Oregon in a covered wagon were Marcus and Narcissa Whitman (and Henry and Eliza Spalding) who made the trip in 1836.
Why is the Donner Party Famous?
The Donner Party (sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party) was a group of
American pioneers
who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. … The Donner Party departed Missouri on the Oregon Trail in the spring of 1846, behind many other pioneer families who were attempting to make the same overland trip.
Is the Oregon Trail game historically accurate?
In a lot of ways,
the way you played the game was surprisingly accurate
. Some of the more popular Oregon Trail strategies we all loved as kids — like starting out as a banker or stocking up on oxen — would have worked out well on the real Oregon Trail.
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
.
How much did it cost to join a wagon train?
The overland journey from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon or California meant a six-month trip across 2,000 miles of hard country. It was costly—as much as $1,000 for a family of four. That fee included a wagon at
about $100
.
Where did Pioneers sleep?
Some pioneers did sleep
in their wagons
. Some did camp on the ground—either in the open or sheltered under the wagon. But many used canvas tents. Despite the romantic depictions of the covered wagon in movies and on television, it would not have been very comfortable to travel in or sleep in the wagon.
