Oregon Trail: Difference between revisions

The '''Oregon Trail''' went from western [[Missouri, United States 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 Oregon City, Oregon. It was most heavily used in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. It was the longest historic overland migration [[Image:{{ScoBlu}}]] trail in North America. The length of the wagon trail from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_River Missouri River] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] was about 2,000 miles (3,200 km). It normally took four to six months to traverse the length of the Oregon Trail with wagons pulled by oxen. About 80,000 pioneers used it to reach Oregon, and about 20,000 to Washington before the 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> <br><br>  

'''Footpath to wagon road.''' The route of the Oregon Trail was first discovered by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_men fur trappers] about 1811. Several expeditions of government men explored and mapped parts of the trail in 1832, 1834, 1846, and 1848. It was originally a footpath or mule pack train trail. In 1830 the first fur trade [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_Rendezvous rendezvous] wagons reached the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_%28Utah%29 Green River] in [[Wyoming, United States Genealogy|Wyoming]]. By 1836 when the first pioneer wagon train was organized in [[Independence, Missouri|Independence, Missouri]], the wagon trail went as far as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hall Fort Hall]. By 1843 the wagon road reached [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dalles,_Oregon the Dalles (Oregon)] where pioneers could raft down the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River Columbia River]. In 1846 the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlow_Road Barlow Road] around Mt. Hood finally reached Oregon City.<ref name="OrTr" />  

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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" />  

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

Pioneers who used the Oregon Trail were mostly Americans from the Midwest or Mid-South. Most settled in [[Oregon, United States Genealogy|Oregon]], especially in the Willamette Valley, but about 20 percent moved on to [[Washington, United States Genealogy|Washington]] (state) before 1870. Others went to [[California, United States Genealogy|California]].  

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

*Many of the [[:Category:US Migration Trails and Roads|US Migration Trails and Roads]]  

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*"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.  

*"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.

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