Life on the Trails Slide 2 The Oregon Trail was legendary
migration route that brought settlers from Missouri to Oregon
during the ear of westward expansion in the 1800s. The trail
spanned over 2,170 miles through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska,
Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon (through the Great plains and over the
Rocky Mountains). Settlers were offered free land (until 1854) in
Oregons Willamette Valley for making the brutal journey on their
prairie schooners. The trail was used from 1841 to 1869. The
average family made it to Oregon City in about four months. The
trail was no longer needed in 1869, with the completion of the
Transcontinental Railroad, a railroad that crosses a continent from
"coast-to-coast". Slide 3 Independence was founded in 1827 and
quickly became an important frontier town. As the farthest place
west of the Missouri River that steamboats could carry cargo, it
was essential as a transportation port, and would become the
starting point for the Oregon, Santa Fe, and California Trails. In
1831, Joseph Smith and his church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day
Saints (Mormons) attempted to construct their temple in the city.
Because of tensions with the local population they were expelled,
and the Mormons would eventually settle in Utah. Today, the city of
Independence holds the annual Santa-Caligon Days Festival, a
celebration of the citys history as the starting point for the
Santa-Fe, California, and Oregon Trails. Slide 4 Chimney Rock,
located in the badlands of the western Nebraska, is one of the most
famous symbols of the old west. The rock itself is a towering
geologic formation that looks like a hill that has a chimney. It
towers some 300 feet above the North Platte River valley. Chimney
Rock was an important landmark for travelers on the Oregon,
California and Mormon Trails. Today, it stands forever as a symbol
of the great westward migration on the 1800s. It is estimated that
over 500,000 travelers passed the rock on their way to destinations
in the west. Slide 5 Fort Laramie, located in eastern Wyoming, was
an important 19th century fur trading post and U.S. military
installation. During the 1850s, it was the primary stopping point
for settlers traveling on the Oregon and Mormon Trails. Many of the
Armys military campaigns in the Indian Wars were conducted from the
headquarters at the fort. The Forts name was immortalized in two
treaties, both known as the Treaty of Fort Laramie, in 1851 and
1868, regarding Indians and White settlement. After the railroads
came to Wyoming, the fort lost importance. It was decommissioned in
1889, and now stands as a landmark in the Fort Laramie National
Historic Site. Slide 6 Soda Springs, located in eastern Idaho, was
a well known landmark to both Native Americans and the travelers on
the Oregon Trail. The town is named for the thousands of carbonated
water springs that are located in the area. Today, in Hooper
Springs Park, visitors can sample the carbonated water just as
westward-bound travelers did some 160 years ago. Soda Springs is
also the home of the worlds largest man-made geyser. The geyser was
created in 1937, after engineers unintentionally drilled into a
carbonated spring-shooting water 100 feet into the sky. Today, the
geyser has been programmed to shoot water into the air once every
hour. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the
only Captive geyser Slide 7 Fort Boise, located about 40 miles from
the site of the present-day capitol of Idaho, was a fur-trading
post of the Hudson-Bay Company of England. Built in 1834, the small
adobe hut was meant to compete in the local fur-trading market with
nearby Fort Hall. Although it ultimately failed in the fur-trading
industry, it became an important supply line along the Oregon Trail
until 1854, when it was abandoned due to severe flooding and
frequent Indian raids. In 1863, the U.S. military built a second
Fort Boise to protect gold-seekers and travelers on the trail from
Indian raids. The present-day city of Boise developed along this
newly- built fort. Today, it is the capital of and largest city in
Idaho. Slide 8 The Dalles, located on the Columbia River, was first
explored by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1805. They named
the area Rockport. Soon, fur-traders and missionaries came to the
area, and the region became known as The Dalles, meaning flagstone
in French. In 1838, a Methodist mission was built in the area to
give aid to sick and desperate travelers along the Oregon Trail.
The Dalles served as a transition point on the trail. For nearly
2,00 miles, travelers trekked through the Great Plains and Mountain
passes. Past the Dalles, however, most travelers would have to pack
up their belongings and float down the Columbia River to makes it
to their final destination of Oregon City. However, those who could
afford to pay a toll could take the Barlow Road, which permitted a
land passage to Oregon Country. Slide 9 Oregon City was the first
incorporated city west of the Rocky Mountains. It was established
in 1829 by Dr. John McLoughlin. His goal was to take advantage of
the potential hydroelectric power from the falls of the Willamette
River to build a lumber mill. In the 1840s, the city was the final
destination for travelers along the Oregon Trail. Once they reached
Oregon City, they could file land claims promised by the U.S.
Government. From 1848 to 1851, Oregon City was the capital of
Oregon Territory. Today, Oregon City is a fascinating place with
several museums dedicated to its rich history, including the End of
the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, which features presentations,
films, and interactive exhibits on a variety of trail related
topics. Slide 10 Slide 11 The Santa Fe Trail was an historic trail
from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico used in the
1800s for trade and military purposes. It was about 780 miles in
length. It was first used in 1880, after the railroads came to New
Mexico. The vast majority of the Santa Fe Trail ran through Kansas,
much of it along the Arkansas River. A small portion of the trail
went through the Oklahoma Panhandle (No Mans Land), before
terminating in northern New Mexico. After the United States Ruts
from the Santa Fe Trail can still be seen in Morton County, Kansas
acquired the southwest following the Mexican War, the trail helped
open the region to residential and commercial development. Today,
the route is commemorated as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.
Slide 12 Fort Dodge in 1867. Dodge City, Kansas was one of Americas
most famous wild west towns. The famous television show Gunsmoke
was even filmed here. Born in 1859 as Fort Dodge, the site was
established along the Santa Fe Trail to provide westward bound
travelers shelter from attacking Indians. Dodge City was
established in 1872, five miles west of Fort Dodge. After the
railroad was extended through Dodge City, the settlement attracted
cowboys, buffalo hunters, soldiers, and railroad workers. Saloons,
general stores and blacksmith shops lined the dirt roads. Because
there was no local law enforcement, disagreements were settled by
fight or duel. Eventually, the famous sheriff Wyatt Earp brought
law, before the town was virtually abandoned in 1886. Slide 13
Bents Fort was built in 1833 by William and Charles Bent for use as
a trading post with Plains Indians and trappers. As the brothers
trading empire grew to the Mexican trade centers of Taos and Santa
Fe, Bents Fort became the center of operations. Trade was primarily
conducted with Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians for buffalo robes.
Because the fort was the only White settlement on the Santa Fe
Trail, it served explores, adventures, and the U.S. Army as a place
to get needed supplies, wagon repairs, livestock, food, water,
rest, and protection from the Indians. In 1849, the fort was
destroyed. Some researches believe it was attacked by Indians,
while others believe it was blown up by the Bent Brothers after a
failed attempt to sell it to the U.S. Army. Replica of Bents Fort
Slide 14 Sculpture in Santa Fe, the end of the Santa Fe trail Santa
Fe is the capital of New Mexico. It was founded in 1598 as the
capital of the province of Nuevo Mexico, an area claimed for Spain
by Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. It is the second
oldest settlement in America. Santa Fe was the western terminus of
the Santa Fe Trail, which was used from 1821-1880. The city was the
site of a large international trading market, where American
merchants took manufactured goods and traded them for furs and
other valuable items. Santa Fe was captured by the U.S. Army in
1846 in the Mexican War. Santa Fe was officially made capital of
New Mexico upon its statehood. Slide 15 Slide 16 Fort Hall Replica
Fort Hall was built in 1834 by fur-trapper Nathaniel Jarvis Wyelth
and as many as seventy other men as a point along the Snake River
in which they could sell supplies to mountain men and trappers. In
1837, Wyelth sold the fort to the Hudson Bay Company of England.
Despite the companys attempts to discourage westward-bound
travelers from stopping at the fort, wagon travel dramatically
increased in the vicinity in the 1840s, as it was located at the
junction of the Oregon and California Trails. Fort Hall became a
popular resting point for thousands of trail travelers, as well as
an important trading post for the Shoshone Indians. By 1863,
however, the fort was completely abandoned. Today, the site of the
original fort is now on a Shoshone reservation Slide 17 Sutters
Fort Sutters Fort was built in 1839 by John Sutter as an
agricultural and trading colony in the Sierra Nevada Range of
northern California. It was the western end of the California
Trail, and marked the final destination for California-bound
travelers on the trail, as well as for fortune-seekers during the
California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, Sutters Fort State Historic
Park lies within the city of limits of Sacramento, the capital of
California. Sutters Fort became Sacramento in the 1850s. The Citys
geographic location, on the junction of the Sacramento and American
Rivers, made it the perfect location for the western end of both
the Pony Express and the Transcontinental Railroad. Slide 18 Slide
19 Mormon pioneers leaving Nauvoo in 1846. Nauvoo, located in
Illinois, was founded in 1839 by the leader of the Mormons, Joseph
Smith. Smith named the town Nauvoo, because it was an ancient
biblical word meaning How beautiful upon the Mountains. The Mormons
worked hard, shared their goods and prospered. The Mormons though
also made some enemies. Some people reacted angrily to the Mormon
teachings. They saw the Mormon practice of polygamy-allowing a man
to have more than one wife at a time-as immoral. Others objected to
their holding common property together. An anti-Mormon mob in
Illinois killed Joseph Smith. Brigham Young, the next Mormon
leader, moved his people out of the United States, His destination
was Utah, then part of Mexico. The Mormons followed part of the
Oregon Trail to Utah. There they built a new settlement by the
Great Salt Lake. Joseph Smith Slide 20 Located on the bluffs
overlooking the Missouri River, Council Bluffs was settled in 1846
as the main outfitting point on the Mormon Trail. It was here where
thousands of Mormons spent the winter of 1846, before embarking
toward the west on the Mormon Trail. The city was also a major
jumping off point for people embarking on the Oregon and California
Trails. In 1863, Council Bluffs was made the eastern end of the
Union Pacific Railroads. Today, Council Bluffs is an important
economic center, home to agricultural companies and riverboat
casinos. Slide 21 Great Salt Lake City was founded by Brigham Young
and members of the the Mormon Church in 1847. It marked the end of
the 1,300 mile long Mormon Trail. The Mormons were looking for an
isolated place to practice their religious beliefs without being
persecuted, and they had also been expelled from Missouri and
Illinois. Immediately, the settlers began building their church,
which was completed 40 years later. The settlers organized a new
state, which they called Deseret. Congress denied their petition
for statehood and instead created the Utah Territory. Salt lake
City (the Great was dropped) was named capital of the territory in
1858. Brigham Young The Great Salt Lake Slide 22 Animals Horses
were rejected to go on the trail. Horses could not live off prairie
grass. Oxen were the most common. Mules were the second common.
Morning Routine First, they start the fire. Second, the women make
breakfast. Then they would pack up all the supplies and head off on
the trail. Meal Preparation If lucky, they would have quail or
buffalo. They usually ate bacon. Pioneers cooked their meals over
an open fire. Jobs Along the Way Women washed clothes. Men hunted,
traded, and dealt with the livestock. Women were the family
doctors. Daily Life on the Trail Slide 23 Entertainment Many items
of entertainment were brought along on the trip. Adults had musical
instruments, cards, and checkers. Dances became important social
events along the trail. Children then had few toys, so they had to
entertain themselves. Some were lucky enough to have marbles.
Others made their own toys from household items. Distance Traveled
People traveled about 12-15 miles in one day. Oxen traveled about 2
miles an hour. Evening Routine Build another fire to keep them
warm. Prepare the evening meal. Eat our dinner. Write in our
journal. Sleep and be ready to travel in the morning. Daily Life on
the Trail Continued What did a Family Need for Food? A family of
four needed more than 1,000 pounds of food during the trip. Each
person needed at least 200 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon, 10
pounds of coffee, 20 pounds of sugar, and 10 pounds of salt. All
this plus farm equipment and furniture were loaded into the tiny
wagon. The cotton cover on the wagon was coated with linseed oil to
help make it rain resistant, and the cover protected cargo from the
weather and the constant dust on the trail. Both ends of the cover
usually were tied shut. Slide 24 Death and Disease Nearly one in
ten who set off on these trails did not survive. The two biggest
causes of death were disease and accidents. The disease with the
worst reputation was cholera, known as the "unseen destroyer."
Cholera crept silently, caused by unsanitary conditions: people
camped amid garbage left by previous parties, picked up the
disease, and then went about spreading it, themselves. People in
good spirits in the morning could be in agony by noon and dead by
evening. Symptoms started with a stomach ache that grew to intense
pain within minutes. Then came diarrhea and vomiting that quickly
dehydrated the victim. Within hours the skin was wrinkling and
turning blue. If death did not occur within the first 12 to 24
hours, the victim usually recovered. Slide 25
