The Oregon Trail: Western Trek Across the Wild

The Oregon Trail was a dangerous trek across wild, unsettled country, and the perilous Rocky Mountains into the western United States. Pioneer families from the eastern United States traveled barefoot across the long, dangerous trail. Many of the travelers died along the trail from cholera outbreaks resulting from unsanitary living conditions. Over 500,000 people went west along the Oregon Trail during a 25 year period, beginning in 1843. They settled in Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho.

Discovery of the Oregon Trail

The 2000 mile long Oregon Trail was not discovered by any one man. It was a journey discovered by many explorers, including: Lewis and Clark, expeditions funded by John Jacob Astor, Pike and Long, mountain men, fur trading companies, and John Fremont. All of these explorers discovered sections of the Oregon Trail that would accommodate wagon trains. Lewis and Clark began exploring in 1803 and was followed by the other explorers until in 1843, John Fremont wrote about the promise of a better life in the west. It was after Fremont's glowing report about the west that the Great Migration across the Oregon Trail began.

Along the Oregon Trail

Pioneers loaded their covered wagons with everything they could carry and set out on the Oregon Trail, passing along rivers, crossing prairies, and navigating over mountains to a western land that promised a better life. Most of the pioneers were farmers and their families who believed the way west offered fertile farming land, no harsh winters, an easy trail for wagons, and river transportation. Soon, the pioneers realized that the Oregon Trail was not the easy route they had envisioned.

Pioneer families joined wagon trains led by wagon masters as guides to follow the Oregon Trail. There was no one route along the trail but various starting points that eventually merged together. The original starting point was along the Missouri River at Independence. From there, the trail followed the Santa Fe Trail into Kansas, southeast to Nebraska, along the Platte River, and on to Oregon City.

Life on the Oregon Trail

The trip from Missouri to Oregon City usually took about five months. Many pioneers never made it all the way to the end of the Oregon Trail but decided to settle or "jump off" somewhere along the way. The wagon ruts made by thousands of pioneers along the Oregon Trail can still be seen today.

Life on the trail was tiring, perilous, and even boring at times. Most of the pioneer families walked the entire 2,000 miles because their wagons were loaded with all their belongings. The oxen that pulled the wagons would tire too quickly from the added weight of passengers.

Most days along the trail consisted of walking all day through the dust made by all the wagons, making camp at night, and eating. There were dangers, as well. Mountainous terrain, crossing rivers, and sickness often caused the deaths of many travelers. Historians say that one in every ten pioneers died while traveling along the Oregon Trail.

In spite of all the dangers, the pioneers still celebrated weddings, holidays, the birth of babies, and the arrival at particular landmarks along the way.

Find out "Fantastic Facts" about the Oregon Trail, from weird wagons to the "cow that started a war".

Fantastic Facts, The Oregon Trail, ISU

Read firsthand accounts from the diaries and memoirs of the travelers who settled west after crossing the Oregon Trail.

Trail Archive, The Oregon Trail, ISU

Discover more about the great explorers of the Oregon Trail:

Discoverers and Explorers, The Oregon Trail, ISU

Lots of information about the history of the Oregon Trail:

Oregon Trail History Library, End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Historic Oregon City

See detailed maps of the entire Oregon Trail:

Oregon Trail Maps, End of the Oregon trail Interpretive Center, Historic Oregon City

Recommended books, internet resources, videos, and activities about the Oregon Trail:

The Oregon Trail, Pathfinders, Wenatchee School District