Life on the Overland Trail

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3g00000/3g02000/3g02600/3g02634r.jpg

Let’s Go West Aboard A Wagon Train Review

• How many miles did they they travel to reach Oregon?

• How many miles did they travel a day?

• What were the major hazards that the pioneers faced during their journey west?

• 1 out of _____ died enroute

Let’s Go West Aboard a Wagon Train Review – cont.

• What were the 3 major jumping-off spots?

• Where did the majority of the pioneers come from?

The Overland Trail

http://overlandtrails.lib.byu.edu/images/trailmap.gif

Why did they go West?• Prolonged period of hard times – Panic of 1837

• Propaganda

• Free Land

• Mild Climate

Later:• Gold

• Religious Persecution – Mormons

Oregon Trail

• Over 300,000 traveled West between 1840–1870

• First covered wagon that completed trip to Oregon was in 1836 – Marcus and Narcissa Whitman

• By 1843 “Great Migration West” began – Ended in 1869 when Transcontinental railroad was

completed

encyclopediaimages/c/co/conestoga_wagon_on_oregon_trail_reenactment_1961.gif

The most common means of transportation: Conestoga Wagon

http://www.historicoregoncity.org/HOC/images/stories/page_graphics_2/wagon.gif

Photograph of actual covered wagon probably used during Civil War

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/08200/08292r.jpg

http://historyforkids.utah.gov/fun_and_games/photos/images/beforecolorfilm/large/wagon_train.jpg

http://www.caminorealheritage.org/gallery/g4/wagon_train.jpg

The Overland Trail

http://www.casperwyoming.info/downloads/maps/california.jpg

http://www.historicoregoncity.org/HOC/images/stories/eotic/eotic_history/mileage.gif

Jumping-off spots

http://www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/winrr/WRCWOT.JPG

Missouri River

http://www.ndtourism.com/uploads/highres/271/gl-JL%20228-15%20Missouri%20River.jpg

http://www.lds.org/images/Manuals/tchg-pix.nfo:o:1576.jpg

Crossing the Platte River

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FOTImages&CISOPTR=0&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMX=217&DMY=0&DMTEXT

Chimney Rock, Nebraska, a prominent landmark on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trails

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/OTImages&CISOPTR=2&CISOBOX=1&REC=1

Church Butte on the Oregon - Mormon Trail near Ft. Bridger

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/OTImages&CISOPTR=80

Rocky Mountains

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/wyoming/images/s/wyoming-rocky-mountains.jpg

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/pga/00800/00894r.jpg

The City of Rocks in Southwestern Idaho where the California and Salt Lake Trails

joined

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/OTImages&CISOPTR=26

Forty-Mile Desert – California

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/OTImages&CISOPTR=37

End of the Trail

http://www.seeyououtside.com/crown_pt1.jpg

From the images of the trails that you have seen, why would

accidents be the number one cause of death on the trail?

Considering that 1 out of 10 pioneers died along the trail, why did they continue to travel west in

such large numbers?