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''[[United States Genealogy|United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[United States Migration Internal|Migration]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[US Migration Trails and Roads|Trails and Roads]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]'' '''California Trail''' | ''[[United States Genealogy|United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[United States Migration Internal|Migration]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[US Migration Trails and Roads|Trails and Roads]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]'' '''California Trail''' | ||
The '''California 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 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, 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 the gold fields of northern [[California, United States 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, United States 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, United States 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, United States 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, United States 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> | ||
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=== Footpaths, wagons, and stagecoaches === | === 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, United States Genealogy|Utah]] and [[Nevada, United States Genealogy|Nevada]] toward [[California, United States 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, United States 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, United States Genealogy|Nevada]] and went on by foot. The first overland wagon train to reach [[California, United States 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, United States 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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass 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" /> | 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, United States Genealogy|Utah]] and [[Nevada, United States Genealogy|Nevada]] toward [[California, United States 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, United States 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, United States Genealogy|California]] but abandoned their wagons in [[Nevada, United States Genealogy|Nevada]] and went on by foot. The first overland wagon train to reach [[California, United States 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, United States 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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Pass 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 === | === Reasons for migrating === | ||
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:*[[Camino Real de California]] 1683 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misi%C3%B3n_Estero_de_las_Palmas_de_San_Jos%C3%A9_del_Cabo_A%C3%B1uit%C3%AD San José del Cabo], [[Mexico Genealogy|Mexico]] to [[Sonoma County, California Genealogy|Sonoma, California]] | :*[[Camino Real de California]] 1683 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misi%C3%B3n_Estero_de_las_Palmas_de_San_Jos%C3%A9_del_Cabo_A%C3%B1uit%C3%AD San José del Cabo], [[Mexico Genealogy|Mexico]] to [[Sonoma County, California Genealogy|Sonoma, California]] | ||
:*[[Siskiyou Trail]] 1829 from [[Portland, Oregon]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco,_California San Francisco, California] | :*[[Siskiyou Trail]] 1829 from [[Portland, Oregon]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco,_California San Francisco, California] | ||
:*[[California_Trail|California Trail]] 1841 from western [[Missouri, United States Genealogy|Missouri]] to northern [[California Genealogy|California]]<ref name="CaTr" /> | :*[[California_Trail|California Trail]] 1841 from western [[Missouri, United States Genealogy|Missouri]] to northern [[California, United States Genealogy|California]]<ref name="CaTr" /> | ||
:*[[Applegate Trail]] 1846 from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] in Oregon to the [[California_Trail]] at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] in Nevada | :*[[Applegate Trail]] 1846 from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Valley Willamette Valley] in Oregon to the [[California_Trail]] at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River Humboldt River] in Nevada | ||
:*[[Butterfield Overland Mail]] 1857-1861 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis,_Missouri St. Louis, Missouri] or [[Memphis, Tennessee]] across [[Texas, United States Genealogy|Texas]], southern [[New Mexico, United States Genealogy|New Mexico]] and [[Arizona Genealogy|Arizona]] to southern [[California, United States Genealogy|California]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco,_California San Francisco] | :*[[Butterfield Overland Mail]] 1857-1861 from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis,_Missouri St. Louis, Missouri] or [[Memphis, Tennessee]] across [[Texas, United States Genealogy|Texas]], southern [[New Mexico, United States Genealogy|New Mexico]] and [[Arizona Genealogy|Arizona]] to southern [[California, United States Genealogy|California]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco,_California San Francisco] | ||
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