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California Trail: Difference between revisions
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The '''California Trail''' went from western [[Missouri]] across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plains Great Plains] into the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains Rocky Mountains] to the gold fields of northern [[California Genealogy|California]]. It was most heavily used in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. The length of the wagon trail from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_River Missouri River] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California Sacramento, California] was about 1,950 miles (3,138 km). It normally took four to six months to traverse the length of the California Trail with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_wagon covered wagons] pulled by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox oxen]. About 250,000 pioneers, the most of any American [[US Migration Trails and Roads|emigration trail]], used it to reach California before the [[First Transcontinental Railroad|transcontinental railroad]] in 1869.<ref name="OrTr">Wikipedia contributors, "Oregon Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail (accessed 12 July 2012).</ref> | The '''California Trail''' went from western [[Missouri]] across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plains Great Plains] into the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains Rocky Mountains] to the gold fields of northern [[California Genealogy|California]]. It was most heavily used in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. The length of the wagon trail from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_River Missouri River] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California Sacramento, California] was about 1,950 miles (3,138 km). It normally took four to six months to traverse the length of the California Trail with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_wagon covered wagons] pulled by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox oxen]. About 250,000 pioneers, the most of any American [[US Migration Trails and Roads|emigration trail]], used it to reach California before the [[First Transcontinental Railroad|transcontinental railroad]] in 1869.<ref name="OrTr">Wikipedia contributors, "Oregon Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail (accessed 12 July 2012).</ref> | ||
The main California Trail overlapped the [[Oregon Trail]] from western [[Missouri]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] crossing in [[Idaho]]. This route passed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks, Idaho] and followed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] in [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] toward California. An alternate California Trail route overlapped the [[Mormon Trail]] all the way [[Image:{{HumRivCam}}]] to [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] and then to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks] in Idaho. The trail ended at several destination places mostly in the gold fields in the mountains of northern California.<ref name="CaTr">Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail (accessed 24 July 2011).</ref><br><br> | The main California Trail overlapped the [[Oregon Trail]] from western [[Missouri]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] crossing in [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]]. This route passed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks, Idaho] and followed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] in [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] toward California. An alternate California Trail route overlapped the [[Mormon Trail]] all the way [[Image:{{HumRivCam}}]] to [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] and then to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks] in Idaho. The trail ended at several destination places mostly in the gold fields in the mountains of northern California.<ref name="CaTr">Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail (accessed 24 July 2011).</ref><br><br> | ||
=== Background History === | === Background History === | ||
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:*[[Nebraska]] | :*[[Nebraska]] | ||
:*[[Wyoming]] | :*[[Wyoming]] | ||
:*[[Idaho]] | :*[[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]] | ||
:*sometimes [[Utah]] | :*sometimes [[Utah]] | ||
:*[[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] | :*[[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] | ||
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:*[[Santa Fe Trail]] 1821-1880 from western [[Missouri|Missouri]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe,_New_Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico] | :*[[Santa Fe Trail]] 1821-1880 from western [[Missouri|Missouri]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe,_New_Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico] | ||
:*[[Oregon Trail]] 1820s from western [[Missouri|Missouri]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] of [[Oregon|Oregon]] | :*[[Oregon Trail]] 1820s from western [[Missouri|Missouri]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] of [[Oregon|Oregon]] | ||
:*[[California_Trail|California Trail]] 1841 from western [[Missouri|Missouri]] to northern [[California|California]] overlapped the [[Oregon Trail]] most of the way to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] in [[Idaho]]<ref name="CaTr" /> | :*[[California_Trail|California Trail]] 1841 from western [[Missouri|Missouri]] to northern [[California|California]] overlapped the [[Oregon Trail]] most of the way to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] in [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]]<ref name="CaTr" /> | ||
:*[[Mormon Trail]] 1846-1847 from [[Nauvoo, Illinois|Nauvoo, Illinois]] to [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City, Utah]] overlapped the California Trail from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Platte_River North Platte River], Nebraska to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Ft. Bridger], Wyoming<ref name="MorTr" /> | :*[[Mormon Trail]] 1846-1847 from [[Nauvoo, Illinois|Nauvoo, Illinois]] to [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City, Utah]] overlapped the California Trail from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Platte_River North Platte River], Nebraska to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Ft. Bridger], Wyoming<ref name="MorTr" /> | ||
:*[[Union Pacific Railroad]] 1865 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha,_Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska] and extending its way slowly west to [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden, Utah]] in 1869 | :*[[Union Pacific Railroad]] 1865 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha,_Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska] and extending its way slowly west to [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden, Utah]] in 1869 | ||
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Several migration pathways had junctions at various places '''''along the middle''''' of the California Trail: | Several migration pathways had junctions at various places '''''along the middle''''' of the California Trail: | ||
:*[[Oregon Trail]] 1830s (and California Trail 1841) from western [[Missouri]] were the main trunk trails. The California Trail usually split off from the [[Oregon Trail]] after the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] crossing near the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_River Snake River] in [[Idaho]]. The California Trail headed toward northern [[California Genealogy|California]] via [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]]. The [[Oregon Trail]] continued to follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_River Snake River] to [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]] and beyond.<ref name="CaTr" /> | :*[[Oregon Trail]] 1830s (and California Trail 1841) from western [[Missouri]] were the main trunk trails. The California Trail usually split off from the [[Oregon Trail]] after the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] crossing near the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_River Snake River] in [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]]. The California Trail headed toward northern [[California Genealogy|California]] via [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]]. The [[Oregon Trail]] continued to follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_River Snake River] to [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]] and beyond.<ref name="CaTr" /> | ||
:*[[Mormon Trail]] 1847 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha,_Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska] branched off the California Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Ft. Bridger], Wyoming going to [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]. | :*[[Mormon Trail]] 1847 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha,_Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska] branched off the California Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Ft. Bridger], Wyoming going to [[Salt Lake City, Utah]]. | ||
:*'''''Salt Lake Cutoff ''''' 1848, an alternate route from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] that rejoined the main California Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks] in [[Idaho]].<ref name="MorTr" /> | :*'''''Salt Lake Cutoff ''''' 1848, an alternate route from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] that rejoined the main California Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks] in [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]].<ref name="MorTr" /> | ||
:*[[Cherokee Trail]] (aka Trapper's Trail) 1849 to early 1890s from Salina, [[Oklahoma]] merged with the California Trail near [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Ft. Bridger], Wyoming<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Cherokee Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Trail (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref> | :*[[Cherokee Trail]] (aka Trapper's Trail) 1849 to early 1890s from Salina, [[Oklahoma]] merged with the California Trail near [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Ft. Bridger], Wyoming<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Cherokee Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Trail (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref> | ||
:*[[Central Overland Trail]] 1859 from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] through central [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] rejoined the California Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparks,_Nevada Carson City, Nevada]. | :*[[Central Overland Trail]] 1859 from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] through central [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] rejoined the California Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparks,_Nevada Carson City, Nevada]. | ||