The Oregon Trail was much more than a pathway to the state
of Oregon; it was the only practical corridor to the entire
western United States. The places we now know as Washington,
Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Utah would probably
not be a part of the United States today were it not for
the Oregon Trail. That's because the Trail was the only
feasible way for settlers to get across the mountains.
The
journey west on the Oregon Trail was exceptionally difficult
by today's standards. One in 10 died along the way; many
walked the entire two-thousand miles barefoot. The common
misperception is that Native Americans were the emigrant's
biggest problem en route. Quite the contrary, most native
tribes were quite helpful to the emigrants. The real enemies
of the pioneers were cholera, poor sanitation and--surprisingly--accidental
gunshots.
The
first emigrants to go to Oregon in a covered wagon were
Marcus and Narcissa Whitman who made the trip in 1836. But
the big wave of western migration did not start until 1843,
when about a thousand pioneers made the journey.
That
1843 wagon train, dubbed "the great migration"
kicked off a massive move west on the Oregon Trail. Over
the next 25 years more than a half million people went west
on the Trail. Some went all the way to Oregon's Willamette
Valley in search of farmland--many more split off for California
in search of gold. The glory years of the Oregon Trail finally
ended in 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was completed.
Actual
wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail still exist today in many
parts of the American West; and many groups are working
hard to preserve this national historic treasure.
Oregon-California
Trail Association
Non-profit group dedicated to preserving the Trail and Trail
history
