A Pioneer’s Journey on the
Oregon Trail
A WebQuest
The story begins…
“The Oregon Trail was one of the most
famous trails ever. It was a series of trails that were
used by the first explorers and fur traders. It was
the longest overland trail in North America. In the
1840s America and England agreed that Oregon
would belong to the first country to settle the most
people in that area. The United States encouraged
people to move to Oregon by offering land for
homesteading.
In 1843 the "Great Migration" to Oregon
began. These pioneers who traveled to the area
used the Oregon Trail. The trail started in
Independence, Missouri and went past Chimney
Rock, Nebraska. From there it crossed the
southwest tip of Wyoming and into the southern
part of Idaho. The trail ended up in the
northwest corner of Oregon. It took them
approximately six months to travel the 2000
miles from Independence, Missouri to their final
destination in the Oregon territory.”
Credits:http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/6400/trails.htm
The Oregon Trail
The Pioneers began their journey
in Independence, Missouri. They
traveled west until they reached
Oregon Territory. They hoped to
find land and rich soil.
May 1843
The Wagon Train is leaving for the
2000 mile trip!
Imagine, you are a pioneer child, a Trail Kid…
You are leaving your home and will not be turning
back. You are going in search of a new home…
You and your pioneer family will
travel in a covered wagon called the
Conestoga wagon.
Many of the pioneers choose oxen instead
a mules or horses because the oxen were
much stronger. Sometimes it can take up
to 4 oxen to pull one wagon! Most of the
time you will be walking behind the
wagon, so put on those walking shoes and
get ready!
The wagon is made of strong
wood such as hickory, oak, or
maple.
The wooden piece that sticks out
of the wagon is called the
tongue. The tongue is connected
to the yoke of the oxen, mules or
horses.
Most people will use the farm
wagon. A larger farm wagon can
carry up to 4000 pounds, but
most can carry about 2000 or
3000 pounds.
The Conestoga Wagon is
much bigger than the
farm wagon. It can
carry up to 5000
pounds! The wagon is
made in three parts:
1. cover
2. wagon box
3. undercarriage and
running gear
Seat
Bow
Cover
Brake lever
Feed
trough
Foot rest
Felloe
Tongue
Spokes
Tire
Brake foot
Hub
You will need to take many supplies with you. Some of the
the food you might need will be: yeast for baking,
crackers, cornmeal, bacon, eggs, dried meat, potatoes,
rice, beans, and a big barrel of water.
The pioneers might even take some chocolate for special
occasions! If you have a cow, you might want to bring it with
you. Pioneers use it for milk and meat. Pioneers made their
own clothing so you will need to bring cloth to sew, needles,
thread, pins, scissors, and leather to fix worn-out shoes. If
you have troubles with your wagon, your family will need to
make their own repairs. Think about bringing saws, hammers,
axes, nails, string and knives and other tools that will help
you.
Make a supply list! Be sure to think about how
much each thing weighs and remember that
your wagon can only carry about 2000 pounds!
PERSONAL ITEMS
TOOLS
POUNDS
ax
15
shovel
12
hatchet
9
hammer
7
hoe
3
anvil
150
grinding stone
75
animal trap
15
rope
4
Use Excel to create your list!
POUNDS
doll
2
jump rope
1
marbles
1
family Bible
2
books
2
hunting knife
1
bag of clothes
40
fiddle
2
snowshoes
8
rifle
10
pistol
7
first aid kit
3
Plan ahead! Some of the things you have
to consider are:
1. The bad weather along the trail
2. Having a good supply of water
3. Food for the livestock
On many days the caravan will only travel
ten to fifteen miles. On rainy and muddy
days they might only travel one mile! It
may take you five to seven days just to
travel the distance we can drive a car in
one hour!
The pioneers have to
get up very early
each morning and
prepare for the daily
travels. It is usually
dark on these
mornings. You will
have to start the fire,
prepare breakfast,
gather the livestock,
reload the wagon,
and hitch the oxen or
mules before getting
started.
What Will You Do Each Day On the Trail?
Each morning you and the other pioneers have to
get up before daylight and gather the livestock
and cook breakfast. Many times you will go
ahead and prepare lunch as well. After breakfast
around 7:00 a.m. you all hitch up the oxen and
start down the trail. Since the wagon is so
bumpy, the pioneers who are not driving the
wagon must walk behind or next to it much of the
time.
The pioneers will stop at lunchtime and rest for an hour or
two. After a rest period you will travel down the trail until
about four or five p.m. At night, circle the wagons for
protection. The women will fix the dinner and the men
will prepare the livestock for the night. After supper you
can gather around the campfires and sing songs, dance,
tell stories and visit. Sometimes you can sleep inside or
even under the wagon, or maybe in a tent. On those
beautiful nights you can curl up and sleep under the
twinkling stars.
What types of chores will you do?
Children have to do a lot of chores that included
milking the cows, fetching water from a stream or
a nearby river, helping your parents cook food,
and washing dishes. You also have to collect
buffalo chips or wood for the fire. You will need to
shake out dusty blankets and quilts, and hang beef
jerky to dry in the sun.
Crossing the River
Many rivers are difficult to cross. Some of the
rivers are fast, deep, and muddy.
A Day of Trouble: Dangers on the Trail
There are many dangers on the trail like fierce animals,
Indians, storms, rivers, diseases, and robbers. Many of
the Indians are not friendly. They may try to steal
cattle and horses. That's why some of you must guard
and stay up all night to watch the livestock.
Grass fires are a
problem.
So are run-away oxen!
Some pioneers can’t
carry enough water from
one watering hole to the
next and were in danger
of running out.
One of the worst things that could happen is that a wagon
wheel or axle could break and you might not be able to
get another. If a storm comes, lightning could hit the
wagon and it could catch on fire!
A Day of Fun!
You can still have fun on the trail even when you
work! Games like skipping rope, chasing hoops,
and tag are a lot of fun to play. Some of the
games like string games are still played
today. You do not have many toys and most all
of them are homemade. Your mother may teach
you to make apple dolls and corn husk
dolls. You father may teach how to carve things
from wood, such as a whimmydiddle, buzz saw,
or mountain bolo.
After a long day on the trail you may gather
around the campfire and listen to the fiddlers,
sing songs, and dance. Some of the songs
included "Cindy", "Buffalo Gals", and "My
Darling Clementine"
Pioneers take many animals with them on the trail,
including cows, dogs, horses, oxen and sometimes
donkeys. Even though the animals have as much hard
work to do as all the pioneers, sometimes you can play
with them like you would any pet!
End of the Trail
You made it to Oregon Territory!
Congratulations!
How do you feel?
Teacher Lesson Plan
Westward Bound WebQuest
A Pioneer’s Journey on the Oregon Trail
• Curriculum Standards
• Goals
1. To provide students an opportunity to learn
about the Oregon Trail and the factors that
affected this journey
2. To introduce students to research using electronic
resources through a Social Studies Curriculum area
3. To facilitate in the development of basic technology
skills and competency in software programs
(Kidworks, Microsoft Word & Excel)
Objectives & Learning Opportunities
• To learn about the pioneer experience on the
Oregon Trail
• To utilize technology to develop skills in
researching a topic and to organize data
through a creative project/webquest
• To develop basic technology skills in word
processing, a paint program, the Internet, and
in creating a spreadsheet
Process & Procedure
Week #1
1. Prepare the students for the journey and build upon prior
knowledge of the Westward Migration
2. Present the topic with a PowerPoint presentation
on the Oregon Trail to intrigue the students and
prepare them with background information
3. Explain the WebQuest and scenario, as
well as what the students are expected
to complete for evaluation
4. Allow students the opportunity to navigate the
teacher designed webpage entitled Westward
Bound
Week #2
1. Show Slide #9 of the presentation and review the
parts of the Conestoga wagon; play Name that Part!
2. Student will Save a file in Microsoft Word named
Wagon last name, minimize the program and open
KidWorks
3. Using the webquest links to pictures and
information on the wagon, students will
illustrate their wagon in KidWorks Story
Illustrator (this activity may be modified for
individual abilities)
4. Students may save their illustration by copying
and pasting it into their saved document
Week #3
1. Have the students Save an Excel file named
Supplylistlastname
2. Handout the Supply list template (harcopy) to use
as a guide to navigate the sites and gather
information for the Supply List they will create in
Microsoft Excel.
3. Students will list the various items they will need for
the journey including the approximate weight (lbs.) of
each item.
4. When students have filled out their sheet they may use
the saved file in Excel to create their Supply List
Week #4
1. Students will Open their Excel file and
continue entering their data for their
supply List
2. When finished, students will continue their webquest
by gathering information about life on the Oregon
Trail. They will begin their TrailKid Journal
3. Students will Open the Read-Only Word File named
My Trail Kid Journal and Save it as Trailkidlastname.
They will use the hyperlinks found on the title to gather
information for their journal.
Week #5 & #6
• Continue with the Trail Kid Journal activity and
provide student assistance when needed.
• Students should be reminded to continually save
their work.
• The students should be encouraged to explore the
various sites even further for new discovery and
learning, as well as for reviewing what was learned.
Evaluation
Completion of the Westward Bound WebQuest will
be 30 points
1. Drawing of the Canestoga Wagon = 10 points
2. Supply List using Excel = 10 points
3. 5 day journal = 10 points (2 points for each entry)
The Westward Bound WebQuest Rubric will be used to
assess the entire Research Project for an additional 20
points
Total WebQuest = 50 points
This Webquest was designed by Angela Natale, Primary Grades (K-3) Technology
Education, Serra Catholic School (last modified 03/27/02)
This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html