Background Information:

The Oregon Trail was much more than a pathway to the state of Oregon; it was the only practical corridor to the entire western United States. The places we now know as Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Utah would probably not be a part of the United States today were it not for the Oregon Trail. That's because the Trail was the only feasible way for settlers to get across the mountains. Without the Trail, most of the American West would likely be a part of Canada or Mexico today.

The journey west on the Oregon Trail was exceptionally difficult by today's standards. One in 10 died along the way; many walked the entire two-thousand miles barefoot. The common misperception is that Native Americans were the emigrant's biggest problem en route. Quite the contrary, most native tribes were quite helpful to the emigrants. The real enemies of the pioneers were cholera, poor sanitation and--surprisingly--accidental gunshots.

The first emigrants to go to Oregon in a covered wagon were Marcus and Narcissa Whitman who made the trip in 1836. But the big wave of western migration did not start until 1843, when about a thousand pioneers made the journey. That 1843 wagon train, dubbed "the great migration" kicked off a massive move west on the Oregon Trail. Over the next 25 years more than a half million people went west on the Trail. Some went all the way to Oregon's Willamette Valley in search of farmland--many more split off for California in search of gold. The glory years of the Oregon Trail finally ended in 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was completed.

Actual wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail still exist today in many parts of the American West; and many groups are working hard to preserve this national historic treasure.

(from "In Search of the Oregon Trail" - http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Introduction.html)

Today we are going to talk about the Oregon Trail. We’ve talked about Manifest Destiny, what it means and how people felt about it. Today we are going to talk about how people reacted to it, how they got there, how it affected them and why it was important.

You will learn about the location of the trail, what cities it passed through and the dangers involved in traveling it.

You will learn about who traveled the Trail, why they traveled, how they did it and what they experienced during the journey. We will also discuss how the Trail affected the lives of people living along it, namely Native Americans.

We will study the trail using our textbook, actual photos from the time, and diaries, letters and other documents written by travelers on the Oregon Trail.

Chalkboard

Overheads with maps of Oregon Country

What difficulties did US settlers face on the Oregon Trail?

Why do you think the Oregon Trail was established beside rivers?

How did Native Americans respond to the flood of white settlers?

What led Native Americans to armed resistance in Oregon County?

What unintended consequences did the arrival of missionaries in Oregon County bring for Native Americans?

Ask students questions to get them thinking about their prior knowledge of emigration and the reasons for moving one’s home and family.

- Have you ever moved? Where did you move? Why did you move?

• What kind of challenges did you face?
• What are the reasons that people decide to move today?

Some students in the class will probably have moved once or possibly twice within their lifetimes. Their moves will probably have been a relatively short distance (within the same city) and the reasons for moving will most likely include parents’ job changes. When they discuss challenges they may mention making friends, getting used to a new school or possibly financial issues.

Place overhead of Overland Trails map on projector.

The Oregon Trail is important to our history because it was the means to opening much of the Northwestern United States to settlement. Without the trail, states like Oregon, Washington and California would not have been as important and densely populated as they are today. A study of the trail also sheds light on some of the problems related to Manifest Destiny. The lands along the trail were populated by many Native American tribes. Often these tribes came into conflict with settlers or were displaced by them.

Point out the various trails to students, noting that the trails were usually along bodies of water. Point out the Native American tribes located near the trails.

Emigration – migration into a place

Immigration – migration out of a place

Migration – the movement of a group of people from one country or locality to another

Frontier - That part of a country which fronts or faces another country or an unsettled region; the marches; the border, confine, or extreme part of a country, bordering on another country; the border of the settled and cultivated part of a country; as, the frontier of civilization.

Belligerence – hostile or warlike attitude or nature

Evangelize – to instruct in the Gospel or to convert to Christianity

Cholera – One of several diseases affecting the digestive and intestinal tract and more or less dangerous to life.

Read excerpts from actual trail diaries.

Give students handouts from the PBS "In Search of the Oregon Trail" and website handouts. Allow them to read them, while briefly answering the questions below on a worksheet.

Briefly go over major points verbally such as the physical hardships and dangers of the trip.

Objectives for Student Reading:

(these questions will be given to students as a worksheet to complete as they read)

1. List three effects that emigration had on the frontier.
2. What were some of the factors that caused Americans to move westward?
3. Describe the significance of Ft. Laramie.
4. What types of items were included in a typical covered wagon load?

Ask students in a class discussion format the focus questions:

What difficulties did US settlers face on the Oregon Trail?

Why do you think the Oregon Trail was established beside rivers?

Provide students with a graphic organizer worksheet and ask them to work in groups for 10 minutes to complete it. This organizer will ask them to list reasons, methods, dangers, outcomes for families traveling on the trail.

The final question will ask them to address: Were the rewards of traveling the Trail worth the risks?

(10 minutes) CLOSURE (What did we learn today?)

Refer back to objectives. Ask students to address, in class discussion, the questions that they answered on the guided practice worksheet and why they answered as they did.

As Homework: Students will write a short essay (not longer than one page, not shorter than one paragraph) addressing one of the following topics:

• Imagine that you are an emigrant on the Oregon Trail. Write a journal entry addressing the reasons for your journey, who accompanied you, events along the way and the outcome of your trek.
• What qualities do you think the settlers needed to face the difficulties on the Oregon Trail? Speculate on how you would have fared on the journey.