Oregon Trail

Vocabulary

100

Another name for a covered wagon

What is a Conestoga wagon?

200

A boat for carrying people and goods across rivers.

What is a ferry?

300

Movement from one place to another.

What is migration?

400

To cross a river with a raft

What is fording a river?

500

Belief that the United States had a right to settle the entire West. Most Americans believed the British, the Mexicans and the Indians should be driven out because the U.S. had the real "right" to expand to the West.

What is Manifest Destiny?

Covered Wagon

100

Group of pioneers traveling west together

What is a wagon train?

200

What did the pioneers do to keep the canvas (cloth) of the wagon waterproof?

What is rubbed the cloth with linseed oil?

300

True or False: most pioneers walked the trails west

What is true?

400

Define wagon train.

What is a group of covered wagons traveling together across the country?

500

The average number of miles traveled in a day

What is 12-20 miles? 

Landmarks

100

The official start of the Oregon Trail

What is Independence MO

200

This fort was an army headquarters, and the first important station for getting supplies or resting

What is Fort Kearny?

300

A shortcut through the Rocky Mountains

What is South Pass?

400

Where the Oregon Trail ended

What is Willamette Valley?

500

This rock was a huge granite formation and was a favorite landmark for the Pioneers. They would stop here to carve their names in the stone, and read the names of those who went before them.

What is Independence Rock?

Miscellaneous

100

About 80% of the wagons in 1850 were hauled by these animals

What is oxen?

200

This group of people sought religious freedom

What are the Mormons?

300

Name of the group that paved the way for future pioneers

What is a pathfinder?

400

Animal hunted by pioneers but sacred to Native Americans

What is buffalo ?

500

Time of year when the pioneers should start on the trail

What is spring?

Hardships

100

Overpacking was a bad idea. The number of pounds of goods and supplies the average animal could pull.

What is 2,000 pounds?

200

Oh no! You're running low on supplies and might restock their provisions this way

What is hunting, purchasing supplies or trading?

300

What pioneers wanted to avoid if crossing the mountains

What is getting caught in a snowstorm?

400

This would get in your eyes and would be so thick that you could hardly see your hand in front of your face.

What is dust?

500

Perhaps the biggest problem on the Trail was a mysterious and deadly disease for which there was no cure. Often, an emigrant would go from healthy to dead in just a few hours.

What is cholera?