Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a route followed by American emigrants as they moved westward during the middle nineteenth century. Along this route, the settlers would face many challenges such as Indian attacks, fierce weather, difficult terrain features, and many diseases. Although these tasks proved to be formidable, nearly four hundred thousand people would eventually travel along the trail.
The origin of the Oregon Trail can be traced back to the Native Americans and early trappers. Roaming the frontier, both groups frequently crossed sections of the trail. In 1742, a Canadian explorer named Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, ventured upon sections of the trail in Wyoming. Sixty-two years later, the Lewis and Clark Expedition would return with accounts of the trail, making it more known. Finally, in eighteen-twelve Robert Stuart and a party of explorers traveled along the trail, backwards. Stuart's party discovered South Pass, which would provide a route of travel through the Rocky Mountains. This discovery opened the door to the West for thousands of settlers. Stuart's discovery of the South Pass did not immediately cause a massive migration west. The first group to travel west was the missionaries. Sent by chur
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In fact, it was almost twenty miles wide. This river crossing was very dangerous. Another factor that caused a western migration concerned the claim in which Britain had on the Northwest. The Oregon Trail was about two thousand miles long (thirty-two hundred kilometers). One settler commented that if one were to head west too early the grass would be too short for the animal to graze upon. The South Pass became another important landmark along the Oregon Trail. It was at this point that many settlers began noticing a change in terrain. Another described his desire to end his journey and begin farming in this area. Rather than a flat plain, the terrain shifted to large mountains. As the caravans continued to travel west the land began to change. Sometimes the settlers would wait three to four weeks for it to rain so the grass would grow on the plains. The settlers would usually begin their long journey in St. The land was noted as being fertile with an abundant supply of water. Along this route, the settlers would face many challenges such as Indian attacks, fierce weather, difficult terrain features, and many diseases. Other pioneers remarked about the strong current on the Missouri.
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