What were the consequences of the Oregon Trail?

What were the consequences of the Oregon Trail?

The Oregon Trail helped to change how the United States grew. It helped to move the population westward from the overpopulated East. If it was not for the Oregon Trail, many of the western states would not be or even look like they do today. The trail also helped spread culture and religious beliefs.

What are the pros and cons of the Oregon Trail?

• 1 Pro: Established Route. The biggest pro in favor of taking the Oregon Trail was that it was an established route with many other pioneers taking it.
• 2 Pro: Army Protection. The United States actively encouraged the settlement of the West.
• 3 Con: Indian Raids.
• 4 Con: Disease.

What did the Oregon Trail lead to?

As more and more settlers headed west, the Oregon Trail became a well-beaten path and an abandoned junkyard of surrendered possessions. It also became a graveyard for tens of thousands of pioneer men, women and children and countless livestock. Over time, conditions along the Oregon Trail improved.

What happened after the Oregon Trail?

By the next year, however, as the Oregon Trail brought hundreds of Americans into the region, settlement and government in Oregon became thoroughly American. Numbers of immigrants grew every year after the opening of the Oregon Trail and, in the peak year of 1850, some 55,000 pioneers made the journey.

What was the greatest cause of death on the Oregon Trail?

, being crushed by wagon wheels and injuries from handling domestic animals were the biggest accidental killers on the trail. Wagon accidents were the most common. Both children and adults sometimes fell off or under wagons and were crushed under the wheels.

How many died on the Oregon Trail?

20,000 deaths

Can you still walk the Oregon Trail?

You can still follow the Oregon Trail today — and it’s the perfect road trip for hardcore fans of the ’90s game. Immortalized in the ’90s-kid-favorite computer game of the same name, The Oregon Trail makes for an epic 2,000-mile road trip, perfect for history buffs and fans of vast natural beauty.

Why is the Donner Party Famous?

The Donner Party (sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party) was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. The Donner Party departed Missouri on the Oregon Trail in the spring of 1846, behind many other pioneer families who were attempting to make the same overland trip.

How did they treat burns on the Oregon Trail?

The most effective traditional approach to treating burns was to coat the burned skin with egg white, as this provided a sterile seal for the skin and helped keep the wound from drying out.

What diseases could you get on the Oregon Trail?

Three deadly diseases featured in The Oregon Trail – typhoid fever, cholera and dysentery– were caused by poor sanitation.

How were burns treated in the 1800s?

There were two major methods of treating burns during Montgomery’s time: application of cold product to produce cooling effects and/or application of some sort of stimulating substance. For Montgomery, dressing changes and oil applications were essential elements.

What Indian tribes were on the Oregon Trail?

Different tribes along the route of the Oregon Trail mentioned in pioneer diaries included Pawnee, Arikara, Cheyenne, Comanche, Sioux, Arapaho, Oto, Kansa, Bannock, Shoshone, Paiute, Nez Perce, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Wasco.

How much did it cost to join a wagon train?

The overland journey from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon or California meant a six-month trip across 2,000 miles of hard country. It was costly—as much as $1,000 for a family of four. That fee included a wagon at about $100.

How many years did the Oregon Trail last?

From the early to mid-1830s (and particularly through the years 1846–1869) the Oregon Trail and its many offshoots were used by about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families.

Why did settlers circle their wagons at night?

At night, wagon trains were often formed into a circle or square for shelter from wind or weather, and to corral the emigrants’ animals in the center to prevent them from running away or being stolen by Native Americans.

Why didn’t most pioneers ride in their wagons?

Most pioneers used the typical farm wagon with a canvas cover stretched over hooped frames. An emigrant wagon was not comfortable to ride in, since wagons lacked springs and there was little room to sit inside the wagon because most space was taken up with cargo.

Did pioneers sleep in covered wagons?

Some pioneers did sleep in their wagons. Some did camp on the ground—either in the open or sheltered under the wagon. But many used canvas tents. Despite the romantic depictions of the covered wagon in movies and on television, it would not have been very comfortable to travel in or sleep in the wagon.

What were the two main causes of death along the Oregon Trail?

Nearly one in ten who set off on the Oregon Trail did not survive. The two biggest causes of death were disease and accidents.

What did a typical family carry in their wagon?

Research suggests that a typical family of four carried 800 pounds of flour, 200 pounds of lard, 700 pounds of bacon, 200 pounds of beans, 100 pounds of fruit, 75 pounds of coffee and 25 pounds of salt. The wagon also had to carry a shovel and cooking utensils. The wagon train would travel at around two miles an hour.

Why did families travel the Oregon Trail?

Answer: While few women and children were part of the Gold Rush, families traveled together to Oregon to farm. Children were often born on the trail; parents sometimes died, leaving children to be cared for by other family members or members of the wagon train.

Why did Pioneers go to Oregon?

There were many reasons for the westward movement to Oregon and California. Economic problems upset farmers and businessmen. Free land in Oregon and the possibility of finding gold in California lured them westward. Most of the pioneer families either followed the Oregon-California Trail or the Mormon Trail.

What animals pulled wagons on the Oregon Trail?

Oxen were most often used for pulling this type of wagon. It required at least two yoke of oxen, a yoke consisting of two oxen. A third yoke often trailed behind so the livestock could be rotated and rested. For those who preferred mules, an equivalent number of yoke could have been used in place of oxen.

Do oxen still exist?

Ox, (Bos taurus, or B. taurus primigenius), a domesticated form of the large horned mammals that once moved in herds across North America and Europe (whence they have disappeared) and Asia and Africa, where some still exist in the wild state. South America and Australia have no wild oxen.

What was the most common wagon on the Oregon Trail?

Sometimes they show the pioneers using Conestoga wagons pulled by horses, with the pioneers riding. Actually, Conestoga wagons were too big and heavy for the Oregon Trail. Converted farm wagons, called Prairie Schooners, were actually used and pulled generally not by horses, but by oxen.

What animals were found on the Oregon Trail?

From bison to threatening rattlesnakes, travelers reported seeing a variety of wildlife along the Oregon Trail.

• Bison.
• Pronghorns.
• Snakes.
• Prairie Dogs.
• Rabbits.
• Coyotes.
• Beavers.
• Prairie Grass.