California Trail: Difference between revisions

The '''California Trail''' went from western [[Missouri Genealogy|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 Genealogy|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>  

'''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 Genealogy|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 Genealogy|California]] but abandoned their wagons in [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] and went on by foot. The first overland wagon train to reach [[California Genealogy|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 Genealogy|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" />  

'''Preparations.''' Many emigrants were farmers who already had their own wagons and most of their own supplies. Other travelers usually purchased supplies at "jumping off points" in [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]], [[Iowa Genealogy|Iowa]], or [[Kansas Genealogy|Kansas]]. Supplies cost as much as $200 per person including a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_wagon covered wagon], teams of oxen, 150 pounds of food per person, tobacco, cooking gear, extra shoes, two sets of clothes, 25 pounds of soap, washboard and wash tub, tent, a canvas or rubber groundcloth with blankets for sleeping, tools, guns and ammunition. Some also bought a trail guide book.<ref name="OrTr" />  

<div style="width: 100%; float: left;">'''Deaths.''' About five percent of pioneers died on the Oregon-California-Mormon trails. The most common killer was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera cholera] along the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platte_River Platte River] in [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]]. This disease killed as much as three percent between 1849 and 1855 (6,000 to 12,500 individuals). About 3,000 to 4,500 deaths happened because of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_Wars#Pacific_Northwest Indian attacks] especially in [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]] and [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] after U.S. Army troops were withdrawn in 1860 in the run up to the Civil War. Other causes of death included freezing, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scurvy scurvy], being run over, drownings (especially in the 1850s before many ferries), and accidental shootings.<ref name="OrTr" /> <div style="width: 15%; padding-left: 25px; float: right;">

The California Trail was miles wide with many variations. Emigrants started on their journey from many sundry "jumping off points" in three states. Some took a variety of shortcuts, and others traveled on different sides of the rivers from other emigrants. Travelers often completed their journey in [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]], [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] or places other than northern California. The California Trail was a branch of the Oregon trunk trail.<ref name="OrTr" />  

Two of the most popular early outfitting or "jumping off points" were [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence,_Missouri Independence] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph,_Missouri St. Joseph] in western [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]]. Once the river was dredged and steamboats could reach it in the early 1850s, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_Bluffs,_Iowa Council Bluffs, Iowa] became the most popular California Trail starting place.<ref name="EmigTr">Wikipedia contributors, "Emigrant trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigrant_trail (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City,_Missouri Kansas City], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence,_Kansas Lawrence], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topeka,_Kansas Topeka] in [[Kansas Genealogy|Kansas]] were also used. From their starting point emigrants often followed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_River Missouri River] up to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platte_River Platte River]. Another option was to follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_River Kansas River] and then the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Blue_River_%28Kansas/Nebraska%29 Little Blue River] toward the Platte River.<ref name="OrTr" />  

Livestock needed watering so the California Trail followed rivers across the dry [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plains prairies]. The California Trail usually followed the south side of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Platte_River North Platte River] west through [[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]] into [[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming]]. Near Casper, Wyoming California Trail emigrants followed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetwater_River_%28Wyoming%29 Sweetwater River] farther west. An important goal was to reach [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Rock_%28Wyoming%29 Independence Rock] on the Sweetwater River by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29 Independence Day]. The trail went over [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pass South Pass] then worked its way through the mountains. One [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublette_Cutoff#Sublette-Greenwood_Cutoff shortcut] went from South Pass due west toward [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hall Fort Hall]. The main trail from South Pass headed southwest to cross the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28Utah%29 Green River] at [http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/trailsdemo/lombard_ferry.htm Lombard Ferry], headed for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bridger Fort Bridger]. At Fort Bridger the [[Mormon Trail]] branched southwest toward [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]].<ref name="MorTr">Wikipedia contributors, "Mormon Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Trail (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref> The main California Trail went northwest from Bridger to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hall Fort Hall, Idaho]. From the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raft_River Raft River] southwest of Fort Hall most '''''California Trail emigrants''''' forked southwest past the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Rocks_National_Reserve City of Rocks, Idaho] toward [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]],<ref name="CaTr" /> while '''''Oregon Trail followers''''' continued along the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_River Snake River] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Boise Fort Boise] and the [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]] border. The California Trail followers who opted to go through Salt Lake City often rejoined the main trail at the City of Rocks. In [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] the trail followed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] westward to its end. The next stage of the journey was usually considered the worst--southwest across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Mile_Desert#Forty_Mile_Desert Forty Mile Desert] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truckee_River Truckee River] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_River Carson River] in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Nevada_%28U.S.%29 Sierra Nevada].<ref name="CaTr" />  

:*The '''''Lassen Cutoff''''' 1848 was established by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush gold rushers] from [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]] going to [[California Genealogy|California]]. It branched off the [[Applegate Trail]] at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Creek,_California Davis Creek], went through [http://www.fs.fed.us/rangelands/ecology/wildhorseburro/territories/DevilsGardenPlateau.shtml Devil's Garden] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_River Pit River] passing east of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Lassen Mt. Lassen], and turning west to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Bosquejo Lassen Rancho, California], and from there to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California Sacramento]. In some years as much as 1/3 of emigrants mistakenly took the Applegate Trail-Lassen Cutoff, a much longer and more difficult trail than the Truckee or Carson routes.  

:*'''''Big Tree Road (Ebbetts Pass)''''' 1851 from western [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markleeville,_California Markleeville], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphys,_California Murphys], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonora,_California Sonora], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockton,_California Stockton], California  

:*sometimes [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]]  

:*sometimes [[Kansas Genealogy|Kansas]]  

:*sometimes [[Iowa Genealogy|Iowa]]  

:*[[Nebraska Genealogy|Nebraska]]  

:*[[Wyoming Genealogy|Wyoming]]  

:*[[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]]  

:*sometimes [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]]  

:*[[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]]  

:*[[California Genealogy|California]]

:*[[California_Trail|California Trail]] 1841 from western [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]] to northern [[California Genealogy|California]]<ref name="CaTr" />  

:*[[Butterfield Overland Mail]] 1857-1861 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis,_Missouri St. Louis, Missouri] or [[Memphis, Tennessee]] across [[Texas Genealogy|Texas]], southern [[New Mexico Genealogy|New Mexico]] and [[Arizona Genealogy|Arizona]] to southern [[California Genealogy|California]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco,_California San Francisco]  

:*[[Central Overland Trail]] from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] to [[Carson City, Nevada]] with connections to [[California Genealogy|California]]  

:*[[Oregon Trail]] 1830s (and California Trail 1841) from western [[Missouri Genealogy|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" />  

'''Modern parallels.''' The modern roads that roughly match the California Trail from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence,_Missouri Independence, Missouri] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramento,_California Sacramento] among other places in northern [[California Genealogy|California]] are listed in an online edition of a National Park Service publication about the California Trail:  

Pioneers who used the California Trail were mostly Americans from the Midwest or Mid-South. Most settled in [[California Genealogy|California]]. A few moved on to [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]]. A few may have settled along the trail before reaching California.  

Some California Trail pioneers also settled in [[Oregon Genealogy|Oregon]], [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]], or [[Idaho Genealogy|Idaho]]. Local histories and biographies from those places may also include some pioneers who traveled the California Trail.