Trails West

Moving West Part 3

Settlers used several major routes as they moved west. They were a series of old Native American trails and new routes.

The Santa Fe Trail was a trade route between Independence, Missouri, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Traders traveled this route to Santa Fe, where they sold cloth, guns, and knives.

In return, they bought silver, gold, and furs.

The Oregon Trail stretched from Independence, Missouri to Portland, Oregon. By 1844, about 5,000 Americans had settled in Oregon.

One group that migrated west along the Oregon trail was the Mormons. The Mormons were a religious group, started by Joseph Smith.

Because of their different views, Mormons had been persecuted for their beliefs. Brigham Young was the Mormon leader who followed Smith.

• Young decided that the Mormons would be safer if they lived apart from society.

In 1847, thousands of Mormons settled near the edge of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. They shared water and timberland and built a community around present day Salt Lake City.