Trail Basics
How long was the Oregon Trail?
Approximately 2,000 miles
Who were two of the first pioneers to travel on the Oregon Trail?
Marcus and Narcissa Whitman?
Who helped make maps of the Oregon Trail?
John Fremont
What were the people who set out on the Oregon Trail searching for?
Good, inexpensive land
Which President wanted Oregon to belong to the United States?
President James Polk
Where did the Oregon Trail start and end?
The Oregon Trail started in Missouri and went through the Rocky-Mountains and ended in present day Oregon.
Where did the Whitmans settle?
East Oregon
What did Fremont specifically write?
Reports describing how beautiful the land was.
How did pioneers travel on the Oregon Trail travel?
Covered wagons pulled by oxen or mules
What year did the President at the time sign a treaty with Britain?
1846
By the end of what time period did thousands of people travel through the South Pass?
1850s
Why was Narcissa Whitman important?
She was one of the first women to travel through the South Pass, helping to pave the way for future settlers.
Why were Fremont's maps and reports useful?
They provided detailed descriptions and maps that guided many settlers on their journey?
What was one of the biggest issues on the Oregon Trail?
A lack of food and water
Before the treaty was signed, what two countries claimed to own Oregon?
The United States and Britain
How would you describe the Oregon Trail?
Wide and open, but became narrow when it crossed rivers and mountains.
In what year did the first large group of 1,000 people set out on the Oregon Trail?
1843
What five states did the first groups of people on the Oregon Trail come from?
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee
What were three things that travelers often faced on the trail?
Injuries, Diseases, and Bad Weather
Where did the treaty that the President Polk signed set the border in 1846.
The border was between the western United States and Canada. The land south of the border became Oregon Territory in 1848.
What did the Whitmans teach and who did they teach this to?
The Whitmans wanted to teach Native Americans about Christianity.