Life on the Trails
The Oregon Trail was legendary migration route that brought settlers from Missouri to Oregon
during the ear of westward expansion in the 1800’s. 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 Oregon’s 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".
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 city’s history as the starting point for the Santa-Fe, California, and
Oregon Trails.
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 1800’s. It is estimated that over 500,000 travelers passed
the rock on their way to destinations in the west.
Fort Laramie, located in eastern Wyoming, was an important 19th century fur
trading post and U.S. military installation. During the 1850’s, it was the primary
stopping point for settlers traveling on the Oregon and Mormon Trails. Many of
the Army’s military campaigns in the Indian Wars were conducted from the
headquarters at the fort. The Fort’s 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.
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
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.
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.
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 1840’s, 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.
The Santa Fe Trail was an historic trail from Independence, Missouri to Santa
Fe, New Mexico used in the 1800’s 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 Man’s Land), before terminating in northern New
Mexico. After the United States
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.
Ruts from the Santa Fe Trail can still be seen in Morton County, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas was one of America’s 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.
Fort Dodge in 1867.
Replica of Bent’s Fort
Bent’s 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, Bent’s 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.
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.
Sculpture in Santa Fe, the end of the Santa Fe trail
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 company’s attempts to
discourage westward-bound travelers from stopping at the fort, wagon travel
dramatically increased in the vicinity in the 1840’s, 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
Fort Hall Replica
Sutter’s 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, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park lies within the city of
limits of Sacramento, the capital of California. Sutter’s Fort became
Sacramento in the 1850’s. The City’s 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.
Sutter’s Fort
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.
Mormon pioneers leaving Nauvoo in 1846.
Joseph Smith
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.
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
Daily Life on
•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.
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.
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.
Daily Life on the Trail Continued
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.
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.
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
Traveled shut.
Distance
•People traveled about 12-15
miles in one day.
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.