Farmers dissatisfied with their prospects in Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, hoped to find better lives in the supposed paradise of Oregon . On this day in 1843, some 1,000 men, women, and children climbed aboard their wagons and steered their horses west out of the small town of Elm Grove, Missouri.
What reasons did people have to to travel 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 .
Why did Pioneers go to Oregon?
Why did settlers move to Oregon? Some Americans went to Oregon in the very early 1800s because they wanted to participate in the fur trade . ... People went to Oregon hoping to claim land and to settle in the fertile Willamette Valley. These people hoped to farm in this region.
What was the trail from Missouri to Oregon?
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.
Why were settlers attracted to the Oregon Country?
Why were trappers and settlers attracted to Oregon Country? Trappers were attracted because of the plentiful fur-bearing animals; settlers were attracted by the fertile land in certain areas such as the Willamette River valley .
What was it like traveling on the Oregon Trail?
Life on the trail was not easy . Many faced family deaths to sicknesses such as cholera, measles, and smallpox. Starvation, harsh weather conditions, and travel accidents were common and took their toll, no matter which trail pioneers chose to travel or how carefully they prepared.
Who traveled the Oregon Trail and why?
Portions of what was to become the Oregon Trail were first used by trappers, fur traders, and missionaries (c. 1811–40) who traveled on foot and horseback.
Why was the Oregon Trail so popular?
The Oregon Trail has attracted such interest because it is the central feature of one of the largest mass migrations of people in American history . Between 1840 and 1860, from 300,000 to 400,000 travelers used the 2,000-mile overland route to reach Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, Utah, and California destinations.
What was the Oregon Trail?
The Oregon Trail was a wagon road stretching 2170 miles from Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley . It was not a road in any modern sense, only parallel ruts leading across endless prairie, sagebrush desert, and mountains.
Who traveled the Oregon Trail?
From the early to mid-1830s (and particularly through the years 1846–1869) the Oregon Trail and its many offshoots were used by about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families .
Why did settlers move west along the Oregon Trail?
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 difficult about 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.
Was traveling the Oregon Trail Hard?
Traveling wasn’t too bad with the wagons on the flat terrain of the prairies, but once the settlers reached the Rocky Mountains, getting the wagons up and down steep trails was very difficult . Traveling the Oregon Trail in the 1800s was a dangerous journey.
Why are they going to Oregon in 1883?
It seems the Duttons are in search of land to call their own, and they’re hoping to leave the impoverished states of Texas and Tennessee behind. They settle on Oregon as the perfect destination for their future lives . The immigrants, as well as Shea and Thomas, also wish to travel there.
Why did the Pioneers move to the West?
Settlers traveled west because they wanted to expand their dominion and wanted more freedom . They believed God told them they were destined to govern the entirety of North American territory. They thought that God gave them the right to take the land in the West.
What were the benefits of the Oregon Trail?
It had reliable rainfall, copious timber, and fertile soil . Its inhabitants didn’t suffer from malaria and other endemic diseases that still killed many in the 19th century.
What did pioneers do when they got to Oregon?
Emigrants could corral and graze their animals at the Farm while, for 50 cents, they dined on large portions of beef, potatoes, slaw, and biscuits. At Oregon City, after six months of grueling travel over 2000 miles, newcomers might rest a bit and resupply in town at establishments such as Abernethy’s Store.
Where did most immigrants who Travelled along the Oregon Trail end up settling?
Canada had few potential settlers who were willing to move more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to the Pacific Northwest, although several hundred ex-trappers, British and American, and their families did start settling in Oregon, Washington and California . They used most of the York Express route through northern Canada.
