Oregon Trail: Difference between revisions

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== Background History  ==

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Another factor that later diminished the use of the Oregon Trail was American railroads. The [[First Transcontinental Railroad|transcontinental]] [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] and [[Central Pacific Railroad|Central Pacific]] railroads completed in 1869 to Sacramento, California made that route faster, safer, and less expensive than traveling the Oregon Trail. Railroads to Oregon were developed in the 1870s. Nevertheless, a few emigrants continued to use the Oregon Trail as late as the 1890s.<ref name="OrTr" />  

== Main Route  ==

The Oregon 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, United States Genealogy|Idaho]], [[Washington, United States Genealogy|Washington]] or places other than Oregon City. The Oregon Trail was the trunk trail for several other branch trails. The [[California Trail]] starting 1846, the [[Mormon Trail]] in 1847, and the [[Bozeman Trail]] beginning 1863 branched off from the main Oregon Trail.<ref name="OrTr" />  

Livestock needed watering so the Oregon Trail followed rivers across the dry [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Plains prairies]. The Oregon Trail usually followed the south side of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Platte_River North Platte River] west through [[Nebraska, United States Genealogy|Nebraska]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Fetterman Fort Fetterman] (near Douglas, Wyoming). At Fort Fetterman the [[Bozeman Trail]] branched off northwest toward [[Montana, United States Genealogy|Montana]].<ref name="BozTr">Wikipedia contributors, "Bozeman Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bozeman_Trail (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref> Oregon 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 Oregon 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 toward [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]]<ref name="CalTr">Wikipedia contributors, "California Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref>, 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, United States Genealogy|Oregon]] border. Once in Oregon emigrants made their way through the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Mountains_%28Oregon%29 Blue Mountains] either to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Nez_Perc%C3%A9s Fort Nez Percé] ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walla_Walla,_Washington Walla Walla, Washington]) on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River Columbia River], or to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dalles,_Oregon The Dalles] on the same river. At first a risky raft trip down the Columbia River was the normal route. But the opening of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlow_Road Barlow Road] in 1846 allowed wagons to get around [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood Mount Hood] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_City,_Oregon Oregon City]. Some pioneers continued on to destinations like [[Portland, Oregon|Portland, Oregon]] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma,_Washington Tacoma, Washington].<ref name="OrTr" />  

The exact route of the '''Oregon Trail''' varied over the years. Most often it passed through:<ref name="OrTr" />  

:*[[Santa Fe Trail]] 1821-1880 from western [[Missouri, United States Genealogy|Missouri]] to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe,_New_Mexico Santa Fe, New Mexico]

:*[[Oregon_Trail]] 1820s from western [[Missouri, United States Genealogy|Missouri]] to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] of [[Oregon, United States Genealogy|Oregon]]  

:*[[Mormon Trail]] 1846-1847 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah overlapped the Oregon 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 [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha, Nebraska]] and extending its way slowly west to [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden, Utah]] in 1869  

:*[[Meek Cutoff]] 1845 branched from the Oregon Trail at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vale,_Oregon Vale, Oregon] going northwest to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dalles,_Oregon The Dalles, Oregon]<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Meek Cutoff" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meek_Cutoff (accessed 15 July 2012).</ref>

:*[http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/auto_mo.htm Auto Tour Route - '''Missouri''']  

:*[http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/auto_ks.htm Auto Tour Route - '''Kansas''']  

:*[http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/auto_neb.htm Auto Tour Route - '''Nebraska''']  

:*[http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/auto_id.htm Auto Tour Route - '''Idaho''']  

:*[http://www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/auto_or.htm Auto Tour Route - '''Oregon''']

== External Links  ==

*"Oregon Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail (accessed 15 July 2011). History and relatively detailed list of sites along the trail with some images.  

*National Park Service, ''Oregon Pioneer National Historic Trail'' at http://www.nps.gov/oreg/index.htm (accessed 15 July 2011). History, culture, photos, map.  

*"The Oregon Trail" at http://oregontrail101.com/ (accessed 31 May 2016). Historic sites, fantastic facts, archives, discoverers and explorers, "jumping off," route west, power, hardships, camping, buffalo, and Native Americans.  

*"Oregon pioneer history" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_pioneer_history (accessed 15 July 2011). Includes background, territory, government, economy, and transportation.  

*"Emigrant trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigrant_trail (accessed 15 July 2011). Includes description of trails in general, and partial map.

== References  ==

{{reflist}}  

{{Idaho|Idaho}} {{Iowa|Iowa}} {{Kansas|Kansas}} {{Missouri|Missouri}} {{Oregon|Oregon}} {{Nebraska|Nebraska}} {{Washington|Washington}} {{Wyoming|Wyoming}}  

   

[[Category:US_Migration_Trails_and_Roads]] [[Category:Iowa_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Nebraska_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Utah_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Wyoming_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Kansas_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Idaho_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Oregon_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Washington_Migration_Routes]] [[Category:Missouri_Migration_Routes]]