The Oregon Trail

Describe the journey, landmarks, hardships, and the nations along the way.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 48

In the 1840s, thousands of families set out for the rich farmland of Oregon. They gathered in spring at Independence, Missouri, and traveled together in wagon trains.
The trip was about 2,000 miles and took about five months. They had to leave in spring, so they'd cross the mountains before the snow came.
Oxen pulled the wagons, which were packed with food and tools, so most people walked. Children gathered fuel and looked after the animals.
Dangers were everywhere: river crossings, accidents, and hunger. Sickness was the worst. Cholera took more lives than anything else.
Many American Indians traded food and helped travelers cross rivers. But the wagon trains used up grass and scared off game that the nations needed. In 1846, a deal with Britain made Oregon part of the United States.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS4H3.c — Describe territorial expansion with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of Texas (the Alamo and independence), Oregon (Oregon Trail), and California (Gold Rush and the development of mining towns).
SS4G2.b — Describe physical barriers that hindered and physical gateways that benefited territorial expansion from 1801 to 1861.