What Was The Oregon Trail Used For

West Expansion

Oregon Trail

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History >> Westward Expansion

The Oregon Trail was a major road that people took when migrating to the western part of the U.s.a.. Between 1841 and 1869, hundreds of thousands of people traveled due west on the trail. Many of them traveled in large railroad vehicle trains using covered wagons to comport their belongings.

The Road

The Oregon Trail began in Independence, Missouri and ended in Oregon City, Oregon. It stretched for around 2,000 miles and through vi different states including Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. Along the mode, travelers had to cross all sorts of rough terrain such as the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Oregon Trail Route by Unknown
Click flick for larger view

Covered Wagons

The main vehicle used to carry the pioneer's belongings was the covered wagon. Sometimes these wagons were called "Prairie Schooners", because they were like boats going over the vast prairies of the w. The wagons were fabricated of woods with iron around the wheels like tires. The covers were made from waterproofed cotton or linen sheet. The typical covered wagon was most ten feet long and four feet wide.

Most of the settlers used oxen to pull their wagons. The oxen were ho-hum, but steady. Sometimes mules were used as well. A fully loaded railroad vehicle could counterbalance every bit much as two,500 pounds. A lot of the time the pioneers walked alongside the wagons. Traveling wasn't too bad with the wagons on the flat terrain of the prairies, just once the settlers reached the Rocky Mountains, getting the wagons up and downward steep trails was very difficult.

Dangers

Traveling the Oregon Trail in the 1800s was a dangerous journeying. Withal, the danger wasn't from Native Americans as you might think. As a matter of fact, many records show that Native Americans helped many of the travelers along the way. The real danger was from a disease chosen cholera that killed many settlers. Other dangers included bad weather and accidents while trying to move their heavy wagons over the mountains.

Conestoga wagon on Oregon Trail
from the National Archives

Supplies

The pioneers were able to bring very piffling with them. When they left their homes in the east, they had to leave nigh of their belongings. The covered wagon was more often than not filled with food. It took over a 1,000 pounds of food to feed a family unit of four on the trip out west. They took preserved foods such equally difficult tack, coffee, bacon, rice, beans, and flour. They too took a few bones cooking utensils such as a coffee pot, some buckets, and an iron skillet.

The pioneers didn't accept room for a lot of fancy items. They merely had room to pack two or 3 sets of tough clothing. They packed candles for lighting and a rifle to chase with along the way. Other items included tents, bedding, and bones tools such as an axe and a shovel.

Other Trails

Although the Oregon Trail was the virtually used wagon trail, at that place were other trails that led out west. Some of them branched off the Oregon Trail like the California Trail which left the Oregon Trail in Idaho and headed south to California. At that place was also the Mormon Trail which went from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Common salt Lake Urban center, Utah.

Interesting Facts about the Oregon Trail

In 1849, a guide was published describing the overland journeying to California.
At that place were reports of the trail beingness littered with items that people cast off along the manner. These included books, stoves, trunks and other heavy items.
Information technology took nigh v months for a wagon train to make the journey.
The first major migration took place in 1843 when a single big wagon train of 120 wagons and 500 people made the trip.
The trail was popular until the transcontinental railroad connected the due east to the westward in 1869.
In 1978, the U.South. Congress officially named the trail the Oregon National Historic Trail. Although much of the trail has been built over through the years, around 300 miles of information technology has been preserved and yous tin still see the ruts fabricated from the wagon wheels.

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