Plan for the journey, enough food, oxen to pull wagons, group of migrants with useful skills
The Oregon Trail was marked in red on the map
The journey on the Oregon Trail could take around four months
Independence, Missouri was the starting point
Independence Rock was roughly halfway through the journey
Independence Day
4th of July
Successful migrants needed a plan for
Setting off from Missouri in spring, crossing the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada before the snow fell, taking enough food, using oxen to pull wagons, having a group of migrants with useful skills
Oxen
Slow and reliable animals that survived on grass, travelled at three kilometers an hour
Horses
Needed much more and much better quality feed, travelled faster than oxen
Useful skills for migrants
Hunters, trappers, carpenters, fishermen, women to take care of children
Indian attacks
Migrants demanded protection, Indians were more likely to help than harm, attacks did occur
Cholera
Spread rapidly due to unsafe campsites near rivers
Drowning
Bridges were rare, dangerous river crossings were sometimes necessary
Accidents
Being crushed under a wagon wheel was a risk
Approximately 20,000 people are thought to have been killed on the Oregon Trail
Wagons used for cover and protection from weather
Weapons carried by migrants
For protection against Indian attacks, hunting wild animals
Wagon necessities
Carrying migrants' belongings, food, and equipment without overloading
Whole families moved west to start a new life
Oxen
Typically used to pull wagons, slow but strong and dependable
Tens of thousands of migrants traveled in wagon trains and the majority made it to safety
Traveling west along the Oregon Trail as part of a wagon train became a realistic proposition
