The Oregon Trail

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The Oregon Trail
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Created by Susan Nelson
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In 1834, a group of missionaries traveled west
to the Oregon territory. In the years that
followed, many other settlers followed.
The Oregon Trail began in St. Louis, Missouri
and crossed over two thousand miles of plains and
mountains, finally ending in the Willamette
Valley in Oregon. The journey took four to six
months and the travelers faced many hardships for
the promise of a better life.
Willamette Valley
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How did they get there?
In a covered wagon, pulled by oxen!
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The Covered Wagon
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What did they bring?
More
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(No Transcript)
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A Tour of the Trail
The most popular starting point for the trip was
St. Louis. Here families were faced with many
decisions. What should we take, what do we need
to leave behind? Anything they took had to fit in
the wagon.
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Fort Kearny
Fort Kearny was built to protect the emigrants on
the Oregon trail. It also provided a place for
travelers to buy supplies and send mail to
friends and family back east.
Click to See Ft. Kearny
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What was it like on the trail?
The land was flat and seemed to stretch forever,
until they came to Chimney Rock.
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The Trail Continues
Click to see Independence Rock
From Fort Laramie, the settlers journeyed on past
Independence Rock. The south pass is a gap in the
Rocky Mountains that stretches for miles. This
provided an easier route for the wagon trains to
travel.
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The Trail in "Idaho"
The Oregon Trail extended through what is now
Idaho. It was also in this area that the trail
split and the California trail began. The
California trail was started after Gold was
discovered in California in 1848. Many people
were lured to California by dreams of striking it
rich.
Legend California Trail Oregon
Trail
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Those who continued on the Oregon Trail, came to
Fort Hall. This fort was originally built as a
trading post for the fur traders. Now it was a
stopping off point for the pioneers. After
leaving Fort Hall, they traveled on through what
is now Idaho and were faced with an important
decision. Should they cross the Snake River or
take the overland route. Some chose to cross at
Three Island Crossing. This was a direct route to
Fort Boise and saved some time, but the crossing
was difficult and dangerous.
Replica of Fort Hall
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Oregon at Last !
Even though the journey was almost over, Barlow
Road a treacherous stretch still lay ahead. This
toll road was built as an alternative to
navigating the Columbia River. Sarah Cummins (A
traveler on the trail) "The traveling was slow
and toilsome slopes were almost impassible for
man and beast. As night was coming on, it seemed
we all must perish, but weak, faint and starving
we went on. I could scarcely put one foot before
the another. I weighed less than eighty pounds at
the time. My own party had been 14 days with only
nine biscuits and four small slices of bacon.
"  
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After the Barlow Road, Oregon City was the next
and final destination on the Oregon Trail.
Here the settlers could visit the only land
office west of the Rocky Mountains to file their
claim. The land was rich and fertile, a welcoming
place to settle.
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There were many other trails and routes that
settlers took to reach the west. The Oregon
Trail was one of the most used routes. In the
1860s, people stopped using the trail, can you
guess why?
Next
Answer
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Return to question
The transcontinental railway was completed.
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Works Cited
Clip Art http//www.endoftheoregontrail.org/wagons
.html diagram http//www.pbs.org/opb/oregontrail/t
eacher/trailmap.html http//www3.memlane.com/gromb
oug/P14MvCon.htm western clip art http//www.isu.e
du/trinmich/Stlouis.html St. Louis
http//dir.nvtech.com/History/United_States/Old_We
st/Characters/Prospectors/
Back
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Works Cited
Photographs http//www.ruralheritage.com/drew/ore
gon.jpg wagon and oxen http//www.rpi.edu/mccafr/
oregon2.jpg williamette valley http//www.nebraska
history.org/sites/rock/ chimney
rock http//www.isu.edu/trinmich/qtvrkearny.html
http//www.poky.net/forthall/index.shtml Fort
Hall Replica http//www.isu.edu/trinmich/Oregonci
ty.html
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Works Cited
Clip Art http//www.emigrantroad.com/images/trail2
.jpg nebraska map http//www.nctc.net/counties/neb
rmaps/oregon_trail_markers.jpg nebraska
trail http//calcite.rocky.edu/octa/trailmap.htm
trail map http//www.idahoparks.org/parks/threeisl
and.html http//www.emigrantroad.com/images/trail2
.jpg Animated wagon http//www.endoftheoregontrail
.org/maplibrary/wyoming.html http//www.isu.edu/t
rinmich/00.map.or.html Oregon Map
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Texthttp//www.10960.com/webquest/gowest.htm web
quest http//www.endoftheoregontrail.org/faq.html
FAQhttp//www.endoftheoregontrail.org/biomenu.ht
mlPioFam Biographieshttp//www.isu.edu/trinmic
h/Allabout.htmlhttp//xroads.virginia.edu/HYPER/
OREGON/oregon.htmlhttp//www.isu.edu/trinmich/Or
egontrail.html
Works Cited
Sound Files American DreamerSongs of Stephen
Foster, Thomas Hampton The Magnificent Seven,
Elmer Bernstein