Trails to the West

Trails to the West Chapter 13 Section 2

Traders Lead the WaySanta Fe Trail • Traders were the first to move westward in search of new markets for their goods • In 1821 William Becknell led a wagon train out of Independence, Missouri and traveled over 800 miles to Santa Fe, New Mexico • His wagons were filled with goods to trade with the newly independent Mexico

Santa Fe Trail • The Santa Fe Trail crossed treacherous rivers, dry, vast landscapes, over dangerous mountain passes • The Santa Fe Trail became a major international trade route within a couple of years

Oregon Fur Trade • German immigrant John Jacob Astor sent men in search of furs to Oregon and eventually established the American Fur Company in 1808 at Fort Astor, OR (now Astoria) • His first company men sailed around Cape Horn and up the Pacific Coast • Eventually he sent men across the continent where they discovered South Pass through the Rocky Mountains—this route opened up the west coast to missionaries and settlers who followed

Mountain Men • Astor became rich selling furs and his “mountain men”—fur trappers—became legends • Trappers were isolated and endured terrible conditions including extreme heat, cold and other natural dangers, like animal attacks • Jedediah Smith was scalped by a grizzly bear and convinced his companion to sew his scalp back on and piece his ear together again • Smith was back at work within weeks

Mountain Men • Trappers met at a rendezvous once a year to trade furs for supplies and cash • They drank, sang, danced, fought and competed in various contests before the serious trading started • By the 1830s the beaver population dwindled and many mountain men moved back east to try other careers • Some stayed and acted as guides for the wagon trains to come in the 1840s

Oregon Trail • Missionaries were the first to settle permanently in Oregon (1830s) • Most settlers followed the 2,000+ mile Oregon Trail • They left in early Spring and had to arrive within 5 months or faced becoming trapped and freezing to death in the Rockies

Oregon Trail • Disease and accidents killed one in ten on the Oregon Trail • Most travelers banded together into wagon trains • Supplies went into the wagons while they walked • Travelers and settlers tired as the journey continued; “leeverites”—”Leave ‘er right here” covered the trail—these were discarded items • Dust covered everything; clean, safe water was tough to find • Still, more than 50,000 arrived in Oregon between 1840 and 1860

Life in the West • Life was difficult in the West • Settlers had few possessions, worked hard to clear land, plant crops and make homes • Disease, accidents and natural disasters like storms and floods plagued them continuously • Many settlers struggled for years and eventually returned to the east

Women in the West • Women in the West worked alongside their husbands and children; success would not have been possible without their efforts • Many women received more credit for their work under these circumstances and as a result suffrage was extended to women in the West long before women in the East • Wyoming became the first to grant women suffrage in 1869

Native Americans and Settlers • Native Americans and white settlers often clashed in Oregon, particularly in northern Oregon • Gold discoveries in Oregon in the 1850s brought many more white and Chinese miners to the area • Armed battles between miners and Native Americans broke out in 1855 • The American government stepped in and forced Native Americans to accept peace treaties

Trails to the West