Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail

Map of the Oregon Trail
Operation
Created by	Fur traders in the 1830s
Years used	1841-1880s[1]
Location	Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon
Length	2,170 miles (3,500 kilometres)[1]
Travelers
Total number	400,000 (estimated)[1]
Deaths	16,000[2] – 40,000[3]
Now a National Historic Trail of the National Park Service
v t e

People traveled along the Oregon Trail during the 19th century in order to settle new parts of the United States of America. The Trail was used from 1841 to the 1880s, but became less common after the Transcontinental Railroad was opened in 1869.

Before this railroad connected the East and West Coasts, if people wanted to cross the country, they had to do in wagons. People who wanted to migrate west had to use the Trail. It was about 2,170 miles (3,500 km) long, and usually took four to six months.^[4]

People went to Oregon for many reasons. Some people wanted land. Some thought Oregon would be a better place to live. Most of them went because they wanted a new life.^[4]

Between 300,000 and 500,000^[4] people used the Oregon Trail. This was an important migration in American history. There were many dangers on the Trail, and up to 40,000^[5] travelers died along the way.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Cite error: The named reference basic was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
2. ↑ Cite error: The named reference unruh was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference park was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. "Basic Facts About the Oregon Trail" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management.
5. ↑ Cite error: The named reference octa was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).