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One of the most important events in American History is The Oregon Trail migration. The Oregon Trail enabled the migrating of the early pioneers to the western United States, stretching 2,170 miles from Missouri to Oregon and California. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were probably the first emigrants to make the trip in 1836. The first mass migration occurred in 1843 when about 100 wagons made the journey at one time.
Traveling 15 miles a day, the trip usually took 4-6 months by wagon, Going by sea meant traveling a whole year.
Most settlers traveled in four-foot by ten-foot farm wagons, with a thousand pounds of food. To keep the rain out, these wagons had cotton covers treated with linseed oil.
Accidents and diseases killed many travelers, some from being run over by wagons, some from people fooling around with guns. Cholera was a quick killing disease that killed many settlers. Bodies were usually left on the side of the road or buried in shallow graves. Weather was another danger to settlers, especially in the summertime.
The biggest danger to the travelers along the way wasn't the Indians or Native Americans as most people think. When the wagons were circled, it was to provide a convenient corral for livestock unlike the many movies that depict the pioneers circling their wagons each night to protect themselves from the threat of the Native Americans. The Native Americans were actually friendly more often than not. Encounters most often involved simple trades and there were very few of the pioneers that actually died at the hands of the Native Americans in the so-called massacres.
Settlers would start a new when they arrived in Oregon and California. 125 historic sites and see over 300 miles of existing wagon ruts can still be seen today.
The Mormon Pioneer Trail was an Emigrant Train from the top of Big Mountain entering the valley of the Great Salt Lake. The Mormon pioneers shared similar experiences with others traveling west: walking hundreds of miles, suffocating dust, violent thunderstorms, mud, temperature extremes, bad water, poor food and provisions, sickness, and death. They kept journals, diaries, and letters that have become a part of our national heritage.
The Mormons were a unique part of this migration. They moved to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake not exactly by choice but to find an isolated area where they could permanently settle and practice their religion in peace in order to maintain a religious and cultural identity. This movement of an entire people, entire religion, and an entire culture was driven by religious dedication and determination.
Grouped into companies of 100s, 50s, and 10s, they traveled in semi-military fashion. Their daily routine on the trail consisted of discipline, hard work, mutual assistance, and devotional practices. They improved the trail and built support facilities knowing that others would follow. Businesses were established to help finance the movement, such as ferries. They followed existing trails, used maps and accounts of early explorers, and gathered information from travelers and frontiersmen they met along the way instead of hiring professional guides. The Mormon migration was one of the most well-organized movements of all those that traveled to California and Oregon.
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