Oregon Trail

• The Oregon Trail


  The main route that migrants used to travel from the east of the USA, to the west
• The Oregon Trail was first published by explorer Jedidiah Smith


  1825
• The Oregon Trail was the only practical way for migrants to make this journey
• Over 400,000 people had made the journey on the Oregon Trail


  1869
• The Oregon Trail


  • It was a long and dangerous journey
  • It was 3,200km long and took around four months to complete
  • Dangers included getting stuck, falling ill, and running out of supplies
  • Disease was also a problem and cholera spread as some groups of migrants drank from the same rivers that previous groups had used as a toilet
• Advice for migrants on the Oregon Trail

  1. Complete the journey before the freezing winter

  2. Take enough food to survive

  3. Travel in groups of people with a range of skills such as doctors and carpenters
• Although many migrants feared Plains Indians would attack them, there is very little evidence to suggest this happened
• Plains Indians were more likely to help migrants on their journey