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California Trail: Difference between revisions
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=== Background History === | === Background History === | ||
'''Footpaths, wagons, and stagecoaches.''' The overland route over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pass South Pass] was discovered by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_men fur trappers] in 1811. By the 1830s that pass was used as part of the [[Oregon Trail]]. Between 1829 and 1840 other mountain men explored possible additional routes extending through northern [[Utah]] and [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] toward [[California Genealogy|California]]. At first these were footpaths or pack train trails. The earliest wagon road was pioneered through South Pass to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Rendezvous mountain man rendezvous] on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28Utah%29 Green River] in [[Wyoming|Wyoming]] in 1830. By 1836 a wagon road reached as far as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hall Fort Hall], Idaho.<ref name="OrTr" /> In 1841 and 1843 wagon trains started for [[California|California]] but abandoned their wagons in [[Nevada|Nevada]] and went on by foot. The first overland wagon train to reach [[California|California]] arrived in 1844 by leaving the [[Oregon Trail|Oregon Trail]] after crossing the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] in [[Idaho|Idaho]]. From there they followed Nevada's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] west to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_%28U.S.%29 Sierra Nevada] mountains, up the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee_River Truckee River] and over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee_River Donner Pass] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California Sacramento, California]. This became the most popular route, but other pioneers also came via [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City, Utah]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks]. From 1857 to 1861 the [[Butterfield Overland Mail|Butterfield Overland Mail]] stagecoach route near the Mexican border opened to Calfornia. That mail route was closed in favor of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express Pony Express] (Central Overland) route through central Nevada farther south than the Humboldt River. In time these various paths to California were followed by wagon roads, railroads, and modern highways.<ref name="CaTr" /> | '''Footpaths, wagons, and stagecoaches.''' The overland route over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pass South Pass] was discovered by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_men fur trappers] in 1811. By the 1830s that pass was used as part of the [[Oregon Trail]]. Between 1829 and 1840 other mountain men explored possible additional routes extending through northern [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]] and [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] toward [[California Genealogy|California]]. At first these were footpaths or pack train trails. The earliest wagon road was pioneered through South Pass to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Rendezvous mountain man rendezvous] on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28Utah%29 Green River] in [[Wyoming|Wyoming]] in 1830. By 1836 a wagon road reached as far as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hall Fort Hall], Idaho.<ref name="OrTr" /> In 1841 and 1843 wagon trains started for [[California|California]] but abandoned their wagons in [[Nevada|Nevada]] and went on by foot. The first overland wagon train to reach [[California|California]] arrived in 1844 by leaving the [[Oregon Trail|Oregon Trail]] after crossing the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] in [[Idaho|Idaho]]. From there they followed Nevada's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] west to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_%28U.S.%29 Sierra Nevada] mountains, up the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee_River Truckee River] and over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee_River Donner Pass] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California Sacramento, California]. This became the most popular route, but other pioneers also came via [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City, Utah]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks]. From 1857 to 1861 the [[Butterfield Overland Mail|Butterfield Overland Mail]] stagecoach route near the Mexican border opened to Calfornia. That mail route was closed in favor of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express Pony Express] (Central Overland) route through central Nevada farther south than the Humboldt River. In time these various paths to California were followed by wagon roads, railroads, and modern highways.<ref name="CaTr" /> | ||
'''Reasons for migrating.''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_men Mountain men fur trappers] were the earliest to use the California Trail. Larger groups of American settlers began arriving in 1846. The outbreak of the [[Mexican War, 1846 to 1848|Mexican-American War 1846-1848]] resulted in American soldiers invading California to help secure it for the United States. Once California was officially United States territory it immediately began to attract more immigrants. Several western gold and silver strikes, productive farm land, lumber, and ranching all increased traffic on the California Trail.<ref name="OrTr" /> The '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush California gold rush]''' attracted adventurers and gold seekers from around the world after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. An estimated 90,000 arrived in 1849, about half of them Americans. Americans usually took the California Trail to reach the gold fields. Some came by ship. Others used the [[Oregon Trail|Oregon Trail]] and then came south to California on the [[Siskiyou Trail|Siskiyou Trail]], or [[Applegate Trail]]-Lassen Cutoff.<ref name="CaGoRu">Wikipedia contributors, "California Gold Rush" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush (accessed 24 July 2011).</ref> | '''Reasons for migrating.''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_men Mountain men fur trappers] were the earliest to use the California Trail. Larger groups of American settlers began arriving in 1846. The outbreak of the [[Mexican War, 1846 to 1848|Mexican-American War 1846-1848]] resulted in American soldiers invading California to help secure it for the United States. Once California was officially United States territory it immediately began to attract more immigrants. Several western gold and silver strikes, productive farm land, lumber, and ranching all increased traffic on the California Trail.<ref name="OrTr" /> The '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush California gold rush]''' attracted adventurers and gold seekers from around the world after gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. An estimated 90,000 arrived in 1849, about half of them Americans. Americans usually took the California Trail to reach the gold fields. Some came by ship. Others used the [[Oregon Trail|Oregon Trail]] and then came south to California on the [[Siskiyou Trail|Siskiyou Trail]], or [[Applegate Trail]]-Lassen Cutoff.<ref name="CaGoRu">Wikipedia contributors, "California Gold Rush" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush (accessed 24 July 2011).</ref> | ||
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:*[[Wyoming]] | :*[[Wyoming]] | ||
:*[[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]] | :*[[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]] | ||
:*sometimes [[Utah]] | :*sometimes [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]] | ||
:*[[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] | :*[[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] | ||
:*[[California Genealogy|California]] | :*[[California Genealogy|California]] | ||