The Oregon Trail: A Long, Hard Journey

The Oregon Trail was a 2200 mile trail that started at various points along the Missouri River and headed west to the Oregon territory. The trail was most popular in the 1840s and 1850s. At this time Oregon meant not only Oregon but also Idaho, Washington, and parts of Wyoming.

The wagon trains traveling the Oregon Trail ranged in size from ten wagons to hundreds of wagons. Before setting out the people would elect a leader and make rules that were to be followed by all the travelers.

People from all walks of life headed to Oregon where they believed a better life awaited them. Settlers had sent news back East that food was plentiful and trees so big only one tree was needed to build a house.

It cost $500 to $1000 to equip a family for the trip. Many families had to save for years before they had enough money. The most important thing the pioneers needed was a good strong wagon and a healthy team to pull it.

Wagons were usually stout farm wagons, ten feet long and four feet wide, with canvas stretched over hoops. These wagons were capable of carrying 2500 pounds. Teams of eight to ten oxen were used to pull the wagon. Oxen were used instead of horses because oxen were sturdier and the Indians were less likely to steal oxen.

Most of the wagon trains left Missouri in May when the snows were gone from the plains and grass plentiful for the livestock to eat. They hoped to be in Oregon by October before the snows came in the mountains.

The wagons were so loaded with supplies the people walked so not to add more weight to the wagon. The pioneers took not only supplies they would need on the journey, but also supplies they would need when they got there: tools to build a house, seeds, plows, spinning wheels, blankets, shoes, medicines, needles, and thread. Many people took furniture and crates of books or china, but these things were abandoned along the trail when it was necessary to lighten the wagon.

They ate bread, beans, and bacon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner unless the hunters were able to shoot game along the trail.

Everyone on the wagon train had a job to do. The men were either scouts, hunters, or herded the stock. The women cooked, washed clothes when water was available, and set up camp at night. The children gathered buffalo chips for fuel and milked the cows.

Disease was prevalent on the trail. Cholera, smallpox, scarlet fever, and influenza claimed many lives. Since there wasn't wood available to make caskets, the dead were wrapped in canvas before being buried. Rocks were put on top of the grave to discourage wild animals from digging up the grave.

Contrary to what is shown in Westerns, the Indians living along the trail were for the most part friendly. They traded vegetables, meat, and fish for needles, old clothes, and flour. They also helped the pioneers find water and helped guide them over the mountains.

Then the wagon trains reached Fort Hall, the people knew they only had 550 miles left to go. It was here that those going to California left the Oregon Trail and picked up the California Trail.

The last 500 miles were probably the toughest miles of the trail. They had to travel over the Blue Mountains that are higher than the Rockies, and then they had to put their wagons on boats and travel down the swift moving Columbia River.

When the pioneers arrived in Oregon many were discouraged. They had had a long, hard journey and they still had to build a home and clear the land.

In 1869 the railroad across America was completed. A person could travel by train from Missouri to Oregon in just a few days. However, many people still traveled the Oregon Trail. These people either couldn't afford the train fare or they had livestock they wanted to take with them, so the Oregon Trail was the only option open to them.

By the 1880s the Oregon Trail was pretty much a thing of the past as few people were moving to Oregon. The area had become settled and lost its appeal to many pioneers looking for new places to settle.