The Oregon Trail
How did the Oregon Trail transform the nation?
Abigail Jane Scott, 1852
July, 16: “ . . . We traveled through the Bear River Valley in the forenoon: This valley is one of great beauty being covered with good grass with mountains behind, before and on either side in plain view with groves of fir trees noding at their top; (and spots of snow visible in many places) This (valley) is tolerably fertile and looks as if itmight be well adapted to raising wheat; At half past two o’ clock we came to two toll bridges build across a stream known as Thomas’s fork of the Bear River; They charges us one dollar per wagon for crossing the two bridges. During the afternoon our road was over the mountains and were quite slippery in consequence of light showers which fell at intervals during the day. We encamped near the Bear River and find good grass. The mosquitoes are troublesome in the extreme: passed four graves.” |
The Oregon Trail was a trail from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City. It passes through Fort Laramie, and depending on which fork you take next, Fort Bridger. It then passes through Fort Hall, and finally, arrives in Oregon City. This trail allowed many people to move westward in order to seek their fortune, usually via. farming. The significant spots on the trail are marked on the map to the left.
The first time this trail was used for a large group of people (not compared to those that come after it) was in 1841, with a caravan of 58 people. This was the beginning of an event known as the "Great Migration." In the next two years, a little less than 1,000 farmers would migrate to Oregon and California. In 1848, gold was found in California and the gold rush started. Over the next 5 years, over 130000 people moved west in order to find gold. By the 1860's about 300,000 people had moved west. One of the ways that this affected the growing nation was that, suddenly, many people had moved west, and now the government has to control that area. One of the reasons that California is larger than most states was because of this event. |
For more information on the Oregon Trail visit: http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/