The Oregon Trail

1. The Oregon Trail The Route WestA 2,000 mile walk or a year-long boat ride

2. The Oregon Trail was much more than a pathway to the state of Oregon; it was the only practical corridor to the entire western United States.

3. The places we now know as Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Utah would probably not be a part of the United States today were it not for the Oregon Trail.

4. That's because the Trail was the only feasible way for settlers to get across the mountains.

5. The journey west on the Oregon Trail was exceptionally difficult by today's standards. One in 10 died along the way; many walked the entire two-thousand miles barefoot.

6. The common misperception is that Native Americans were the emigrant's biggest problem en route. Quite the contrary, most native tribes were quite helpful to the emigrants.

7. The real enemies of the pioneers were cholera, poor sanitation and--surprisingly--accidental gunshots.

8. The first emigrants to go to Oregon in a covered wagon were Marcus and Narcissa Whitman who made the trip in 1836. They went as missionaries to the Native Americans

9. But the big wave of western migration did not start until 1843, when about a thousand pioneers made the journey.

10. That 1843 wagon train, dubbed "the great migration" kicked off a massive move west on the Oregon Trail. Over the next 25 years more than a half million people went west on the Trail.

11. Some went all the way to Oregon's Willamette Valley in search of farmland--many more split off for California in search of gold.

12. The glory years of the Oregon Trail finally ended in 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was completed.

13. Actual wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail still exist today in many parts of the American West; and many groups are working hard to preserve this national historic treasure.

14. Okay, but lets look at the practicalities of getting there. What did you need to take.. Crossing the continent to settle in Oregon was not a journey for the faint of heart, and neither was it a journey for the poor.

15. It required a minimum of about $500 to outfit for the trip, and this could easily become $1000 or more if an emigrant needed to purchase a wagon and draft animals.

16. You could outfit yourself at any of several “jumping off” points. Independence and St. Joseph, Missouri were two of the major jumping off spots.

17. Emigrant Lansford Hastings: "In procuring supplies for this journey, the emigrant should provide himself with, at least, 200 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon; ten pounds of coffee; twenty pounds of sugar; and ten pounds of salt."

18. A family of four would need over a thousand pounds of food to sustain them on the 2000 mile journey to Oregon. The only practical way to haul that much food was a wagon.

19. The preferred animals to pull the wagons were oxen.

20. The farm wagon soon replaced the too heavy Conestoga wagons.

21. River crossings were a constant source of distress for the pioneers. Hundreds drowned trying to cross the Kansas, North Platte and Columbia Rivers--among others.  In 1850 alone, 37 people drowned trying to cross one particularly difficult river--the Green.

22. The emigrant wagons didn't have any safety features. If someone fell under the massive wagon wheels, death was instant. Many lost their lives this way. Most often, the victims were children.

23. Great thunderstorms took their toll. A half-dozen emigrants were killed by lightning strikes; many others were injured by hail the size of apples.

24. Pounding rains were especially difficult for the emigrants because there was no shelter on the open plains and the covered wagons eventually leaked.

25. After a few days on the trail, the emigrants would settle into a well-defined daily routine. Awake before sunup; yoke the oxen, cook the breakfast; and hit the trail.

26. There was an hour break for lunch and at about six p.m., they set up camp. The emigrants did circle their wagons, but it wasn't for protection against the Native American tribes. Instead, the circle provided a convenient corral for loose livestock

27. Almost immediately the campfires started burning and dinner was begun. Cooking bread over a campfire was something of a challenge--the result was usually burned on the outside and doughy on the inside. Even worse, keeping bugs and dirt out of the mix was nearly impossible.

28. When the Trail got crowded--in 1849 and later--camping became more difficult. The biggest problem was finding fuel for the campfires.

29. Soon trees were scarce and there was only one alternative--buffalo dung. No one liked collecting it, but it did burn--and gave off a consistent odorless flame.

30. If they were lucky, the emigrants would have quail or buffalo with their bread. But most often, they ate bacon--day after day.

31. At five a.m. the whole process started again; fifteen miles a day for nearly six months.  

32. The pioneers used guidebooks which were purchased in St. Louis to show them easier routes to the Oregon Territory.

33. The guidebooks would point out rivers and mountains they had to cross and landmarks that they would see along the way to help them have a safer journey.

34. Some of these famous landmarks are: Chimney Rock, Castle Rock, Courthouse and Jail Rocks, Independence Rock and Split Rock.

35. After the comparative ease of the plains came the mountains. The Rocky Mountains posed a serious threat for the pioneers. Getting their wagons, teams, and livestock safely across was a challenge that would have to be overcome to reach their dream.

36. South Pass was the doorway through the Rocky Mountains to the western half of the continent. It was the easiest mountain pass for the pioneers to use.

37. Once on the trail there were choices to be made

38. If you made the wrong choices, like the Donner-Reed Party it could cost you your life. They ended up snowed in in the mountains and had to resort to cannibalism to survive.

39. With all of these hardships why go to Oregon at all? Oregon had a reputation not only for having good farmland and vast forests of huge, ancient trees, but also for being free of disease.

40. This made the Oregon Country even more attractive, since epidemics were common in the East and little was known about the causes of disease and infection.

41. Advice from an experienced emigrant Having made the trip to Oregon on the Platte River trail, permit me to offer you these Words of Friendly Caution! 1. Keep on the well-worn trails along the River. Don't try new "cut-offs" and "short cuts."

42. 2. Don't hurry your stock. Take it slowly and you will get through before those who hurry up. 3. Don't load too heavy at the beginning.

43. 4. Supply yourself with a fair stock of vegetables, dried fruits, acids, pickles, etc. and use freely on the road. Let each wagon be supplied with some good cathartic, tonic and heating medicines.

44. 5. Don't carry loaded guns. You won't have time to hunt, and you needn't expect trouble from the Indians unless you go looking for it.

45. 6. Be careful crossing rivers and streams. Many careless emigrants drown each season.

46. 7. Drink water from flowing streams. That includes the Platte. The Platte water may be "too thick to chew and too thin to plow," but it is healthy. The mud can be settled out and the "wrigglers" removed by straining through a cloth. Do not drink from trailside wells. The are filled with disease!

47. 8. Don't pass up the chance to camp where there is good feed and water, even though it is but the middle of the afternoon.

48. 9. Be prepared to travel in a crowd. with dust, noise, confusion, and crowded campgrounds.

49. 10. Watch the stock faithfully at night; and don't travel on the Sabbath!

50. In conclusion, we would say to all who go West, especially to the young, YIELD NOT TO TEMPTATION. Carry your principles with you; leave not your character at home, nor your Bible. You will need them both and even grace from above to protect you