Basics
What was the name of the long route settlers traveled from Missouri to the West Coast to find land and start new lives?
The Oregon Trail
What written records did many travelers keep to document their experiences?
Journals
Snow could trap travelers and they could starve
What do you call the people that knew the route well and helped others navigate the trail?
Guides
In which season did many families choose to travel the Oregon Trail and why?
In spring so that they could reach the west coast before winter.
What 2 activities helped travelers get food when their supplies ran low?
Trading and hunting
Name 2 problems that travelers encountered related to food and transportation.
Supply shortages and broken wagons
What do you call a person or family who moves to a new area to live and farm?
Settlers
What is the term for the new homes, towns, and farms that appeared after thousands settled in Oregon?
Settlement
What name describes groups that traveled together for safety and to share supplies?
Wagon trains
Name 3 things that travelers used to find their way along the trail.
Guides, maps/compasses, and landmarks
Name 2 types of accidents that happened along the Oregon Trail.
Drownings
Animal injuries
Wagon crashes
What do you call the group of people that travelers encountered along the trail who they sometimes traded with and sometimes fought with?
Native Americans
Why did many people leave their homes to travel the Oregon Trail?
Better farmland
Adventure
Land ownership
Hope for a better life
About how long was the Oregon Trail?
2,000 miles
Name 2 things that towns and trading posts offered travelers along the trails.
Supplies
Repairs
News
Name 2 things that caused disease to spread.
Bad water and crowded camps
What do you call the people who set up businesses along the trail and in Oregon towns?
Merchants
Name two negative consequences Native American communities faced when settlers arrived.
Loss of land
Disease
Disruption of daily life
Name 3 ways people typically traveled along the trail.
Covered wagons, walking, riding horses
Name 3 daily tasks that people performed on the trail.
Cooking, caring for animals and children, and fixing wagons.
Name the 3 main categories of hardships that travelers encountered along the trail.
Disease, supply shortages, difficult terrain/weather
What do you call people who traveled to teach religion and help local communities?
Missionaries
Name 2 outcomes that the trail had on the US in general.
Helped the US expand to the west coast
Increased interest in governing/protecting western lands