why did people go on the oregon trail

Some did camp on the ground—either in the open or sheltered under the wagon. National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center | 541-523-1843 | oregontrail.blm.gov Why did people go to the Oregon Territory? Where did the Oregon Trail really go? The Oregon Trail’s legacy is still felt in the state of Oregon with several literary pieces being written about it. Faced with the hardships of the trail, some people gave up and went back home. Which lead to leaving many people without money or in poverty. Pioneer settlers were sometimes pulled west because they wanted to make a better living. Where did the Oregon Trail begin and end? There were two periods of time when Americans went to Oregon. But many used canvas tents. Why did people decide to go on the Oregon Trail: Hold a class discussion on why they think some Americans decided to move to the west. Amidst an overwhelming chorus of naysayers who doubted their success, the so … Once they finished their farewells to the friends and family they might never see again, it was time for the tough part -- surviving a 2,000 mile journey. The route started on the banks of the Missouri River, originally at Independence, then Westport, then Weston across from Fort Leavenworth. So who were these crazy people, and why did they place their lives and fortunes in jeopardy to reach a land none of them had ever seen? Between 1841 and 1845, more than 5,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail, a rough, rutted road from Missouri to Oregon. The original game was designed to teach school children about the realities of 19th century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail. The first major migration took place in 1843 when a single large wagon train of 120 wagons and 500 people made the trip. Dangers along the trail included water crossings, disease, accidents, and weather. Tracks are still visible going up the hill, and are also visible on the way back down, into Bear River Valley. The real Oregon Trail was filled with about as many accidents and illnesses, and the National Oregon/California Trail Center says more than 300,000 Americans actually did travel along it at the end of the 19th century. The Oregon, Mormon Pioneer and California trails all cross Wyoming in the central and most popular corridor of the transcontinental migration of the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s. The Oregon Trail's nominal termination point was Oregon City, ... With literally thousands of people and thousands of livestock traveling in a fairly small time slot the travelers had to spread out to find clean water, wood, good campsites, and grass. Why? First published by explorer Jedidiah Smith in 1825, it was the only practical way for migrants to make this journey. About 200,000- 400,000 people crossed this trail by wagon. By 1843, when the first large wagon train was organized, a route existed across the continent from Independence, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. There were several reasons why settlers went to the Oregon Country. because the letters and rumors of Oregon Territory's rich and natural beauty. The Oregon Trail was a major route that people took when migrating to the western part of the United States. CEO Compensation and America's Growing Economic Divide. The Oregon Trail is a computer game originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971 and produced by MECC in 1974. Answer Save. Favorite Answer. Why? While wagon trains frequently traveled together by choice, factors such as weather and trail conditions often resulted in unintended “bunching” along the route. Why did people go on the oregon trail? The number of deaths is difficult to calculate as most were buried in unmarked graves, but it is estimated that up to 30,000 people died during the 20-year migration along the Trail. Americans' interest in Oregon and California country grew with each passing year, as the emigrants sent letters back home describing the region to their friends and family. The U.S. Supreme Court: Who Are the Nine Justices on the Bench Today? The first route followed the Santa Fe Trail into Kansas Territory. The Oregon Trail is a computer game originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971 and produced by MECC in 1974. It adorns a recent Oregon highway license plate, is an obligatory reference in the resettlement of Oregon, and has long attracted study, commemoration, and celebration as a foundational event in the state’s past. Officially, according to an act of Congress, it begins in Independence, Missouri, and ends in Oregon City, Oregon. As more and more people settled in the west, travelers set out to join their families. Swollen rivers could tip over and drown both people and oxen. Tell the students the main reasons why some Americans left for the west:-Free land was available.-Freedom from slavery attracted many people.-Good land for farming meant more and better crops. In 1978, the U.S. Congress officially named the trail the Oregon National Historic Trail. Here’s one thing you can say about the lasting legacy of the Oregon Trail, a fact that has lodged the 2,170-mile migration in the minds of generations: The struggle was real.. While settlers traveled west along the Oregon Trail for a variety of reasons, most were motivated either by land or gold. Where did the Oregon Trail really go? 3. 0 0. From start to finish, it took between five and six months, and it's hard to imagine today. About 200,000- 400,000 people crossed this trail by wagon. Why did Americans want to travel ... dust, robbers and rough terrain, many thousands of Americans did go west. The numbers alone are enough to chill. The longest, steepest climb on the Oregon Trail, the hill had an even more dangerous descent. Wagons hauled goods, but people had to walk 2,000 miles. They made dolls from corn cobs and rags and used a bladder balloon for ball games. Early trailblazers. The answer is not simple, as there was no single route, just a destination: Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Favorite Answer. It had reliable rainfall, copious timber, and fertile soil. Directed by Gene Fowler Jr.. With Fred MacMurray, William Bishop, Nina Shipman, Gloria Talbott. For a modern trip along the Oregon Trail you won't need a covered wagon full of supplies. It was populated by very few people. Accidents… The Oregon Trail was never a clearly defined route. In 1846, a newspaperman joins an Oregon Trail wagon train to verify rumors about the U.S. government sending troops disguised as settlers there in order to claim Oregon. Trappers first traveled the Oregon Trail. The people on the Oregon Trail wanted to go the Oregon territory, or what is now Washington and Oregon. Manifest Destiny was the key factor that led people to the west. At Oregon City, the pioneers filed land claims and reprovisioned their supplies to start their new lives in the Pacific Northwest. Though the first emigrants to use the Oregon Trail arrived in 1836, the first large-scale mass migration did not occur until 1843 when an estimated 1,000 pioneers set out together. The route started on the banks of the Missouri River, originally at Independence, then Westport, then Weston across from Fort Leavenworth. The Oregon, Mormon Pioneer and California trails all cross Wyoming in the central and most popular corridor of the transcontinental migration of the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s. The Oregon Trail started in Independence, Missouri and ended in Oregon City. Others went for adventure and to seek new experiences. 1 decade ago. Hilarity! Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images. The answer is not simple, as there was no single route, just a destination: Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The Louisiana Territory Purchased by the United States Government was one of the important events that are linked to the Oregon Trail. Various land acts in Oregon provided free land to pioneers, while the start of the California Gold Rush in 1848 lured thousands more. Though the Whitmans were forced to abandon their wagons 200 miles short of Oregon, they proved that families could go west by wheeled travel. The length of the wagon trail from the Missouri River to Willamette Valley was about 2,000 miles (3,200 km). Less famous but equally exciting at the time were other reports of gold being found in Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and other western states. Traffic soon skyrocketed, and by the late-1840s and early 1850s, upwards of 50,000 people were using the trail each year. Relevance. The Trail was about 2,170 miles (3,500 km) long, and could take up to six months to travel. Some went hoping to find better health or better living conditions. Everyone Has CholeraThe worst outbreaks occurred on the Oregon Trail in 1849, 1850 and 1852. I don't know about all of them but my Great, Great grandfather and his wife and children came out to Oregon in 1852 because his teenage sons wanted to go … Start their new lives in the game was a medicine known as laudanum—understood today to be pure.! 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