Oregon Trail Facts

Moving to Oregon was one of the famous trails for the pioneers. The reason why people moved out of the East and towards the West

“The amount of deaths along the Oregon Trail was drastic, and it is estimated that five percent of migrants died on the journey, about 15,000 deaths in total” (Alchin). Pioneers suffered from many issues while on their journey. Due to the many obstacles they would have to overcome. The pioneers traveling on the trails faced the most difficulty trying to survive and thrive in the West due to resources, weather, and disease.

Due to the fact that only Native Americans were in the Oregon Territory, and they used animal products efficiently and did not hunt unless it was necessary, the animal population was very high. The main animal hunted by trappers were beavers. Their fur had become a commodity due to the near extinction of the creature from over hunting. “The possibility of profiting from the western beaver trade had led,”(McNeese OL) many to the territory in search of wealth and fame.

In the late 1800’s the Americas began to move westward. Along with moving westward there came struggles and hardships. There were multiple reasons for starting the westward expansion, such as the gold rush and the government bribes of land. While people moved, the ideals of Manifest Destiny occurred. ADD MORE INFORMATION ON THE GOLD RUSH!!!!

The Oregon Trail is “this nation’s longest graveyard” (National Park Service). The emigrants on the trail looked for a new life in America. Some emigrants went looking for religious freedom, others went for land and power. They were not prepared for the dangers and difficulties that the trail presented.

The Age of Exploration led to a rocky path for Native Americans. It did not seal their fate. The explorers who define the Age of Exploration did not have an easy job. Their occupation was not one that they knew much about.

Railroads carried new and expensive machinery from factories in the East and Midwest to Oregon farmers who in turn became more specialized and profit oriented.” Railroads boosted trade and production by massive numbers. Without railroads, trade would not have been as advanced and farmers would have no way to deliver crops in a quick manner that would provide fresh produce to consumers. One major railroad that is talked about today is the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad. During the building of this railroad, many complications occurred, but no matter the dilemma, they always approached and attempted to fix it, as said in Richmond

During the late 1800’s, many settlers were expanding to the West and the Transcontinental Railroad helped them move from the East to the West. Some wanted to gain 160 free acres of land known as the Homestead Act. The Transcontinental Railroad connected the East and the West. The Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad were the companies that built the Transcontinental Railroad; however, the companies were run by greedy men and felt no guilt as they asked the government to pass special bills for them. The railroad cut through many lands and affected the Native Americans in a perilously way.

The Transcontinental Railroad and the Interstate Highway System were not only the two biggest contributions in the history of transportation in the United States but are tremendously similar to each other in how they were built. Both systems were built in times of extremely desperate need of a way of transportation across the country which made them such big advantages to American society. The two systems have been majorly significant tools in the history the United States as well as modern day life. Something that the two topics share is the fact that they were both built during times of great change in the nation and had difficulties in funding.

— Virginia Reed, daughter of James Reed. A tragic story of the Donner party is a very harrowing adventure through the journey of the big group and how about half of the people lived to tell the tale. On April 16, 1846 nine wagons were reported departing from Springfield Illinois on a journey of what is now called the Oregon Trail. Formerly known as the northern trail there were a lot of advantages and disadvantages to the Oregon trail there was more land and wonderful

The Trail of Tears in 1839 was a horrific event that removed thousands of Native Americans from there homes. They were forced to travel a thousand miles on foot to a new land. Thousands of lives were lost along and after the journey. The removal effected the Cherokees greatly and it still effects them today. They Trail of Tears was dangerous, deadly, and many didn 't

Before the 1800s, there were two early roads, Forbes and Wilderness Road. In 1811, the National Road known as Cumberland Road was built to reach Western settlements, because they needed a road to ship farm products that connect East and West. The National Road passed thousand of wagons and coaches. John F. Stover states in American Railroads, “The rich agricultural production of the country, the small but expanding factories of eastern cities, and the largely untapped natural resources of the nation-all of these called for improvements in transport. ”(Stover1)

The Transcontinental Railroad played a significant role in the settlement of the American West. As of May 10th, 1869, this railroad became the area’s newest and fastest mode of transportation. Its first obligation was to bring settlers in at very low cost, and, sometimes, even free of charge. The types of people that began to migrate West were those who were searching for a better life. One which contains less poverty and more opportunities.

Traveling hundreds of thousands of miles through dangerous paths American pioneers took on hardships as they sought westward in hopes of a better life. The journey westward began in the early 1800s when the US exploded with new territory’s nearly tripling the US’s size. It all started in 1803 when the US bought the Louisiana Territory from France. Quickly, many farmers picked up their belongings and headed out west to the rich, fertile land for a fresh start. Next, Andrew Jackson invaded Florida claiming it for the US which was also another opportunity for settlers to begin a new life.

There have been steam engine trains trailing the United States in the early 1800’s. Many of the early ones ran only a few dozen miles. When the railways ran longer distances, the cost to build and later ride them were be extremely high. However, long distances were what Minnesota needed to keep up with the competitive and growing nation around it. “Construction began on the first track in 1861 in St. Paul and was completed in 1862.”