Barriers and Gateways
Columbia
Moving west...
100


Rocky Mountains, Harsh Weather, lack of water

What are three barriers people encountered when moving westward?


100

Education, light, telegraphs, 


  1. What are three symbols seen in this painting? 

100

 enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land.

What is homesteading?

200

Canals, Rivers, Flatlands

What are three gateways used during westward expansion?

200

 A new way to travel west in search for a new life.

What does the train symbolize in the painting?

200

Coined the term "Manifest Destiny"

Who was John L. O’Sullivan?

300

Snake bites, illness, robbers, angry natives

What are some dangers that pioneers encountered while traveling west?

300

Fear of the White man taking their land.

What does the terrified Native Indian symbolize in the painting?

300

Enabled people to settle in a less populated land for cheaper than the big cities, allowed people to  buy and sell crops easily, and  created many new jobs

How did the invention of the transcontinental railroad impact westward expansion?

400

Money, Land, and Freedom

What are some reasons people looked for gateways to move west?

400

cheap land, new agricultural technology, new jobs, gold rush

What does the land stand  for in the painting?

400

Former slaves now free, people Free from government restrictions, Manifest Destiny, Gold Rush

What does Freedom look like during Westward Expansion?

500

death from  lack of food or water; Indian attacks; accidents, or rattlesnake bites,  disease. The most dangerous diseases were those spread by poor sanitary conditions and personal contact.

 What were some dangers on the trail?

500


  • Around 4 am the wagon leader sounded the trumpet or fired a rifle to wake everyone up.
  • By 5 am breakfast was prepared, while the animals were rounded up after a night of grazing.
  • By 6 am the men and boys hitched the wagons while everyone else ate breakfast.
  • At 7 am the bugle sounded, the wagonmaster shouted "Wagons roll!", and the emigrants started off for the day.
  • There was an hour lunch break, referred to as "nooning".
  • At around 6 pm the wagons were circled. Circling the wagons wasn't for protection against the Indians as much as it was to provide a corral for livestock, and security from cattle thieves, wild animals, and weather. Immediately, campfires were started and dinner was cooked.

What and how did people travel on the Oregon Trail?

500

In 1850, it cost roughly $800 to $1,200 to obtain a proper outfit and get by for a whole year without harvesting a crop. In today's dollars, this would be equivalent to $32,000 to $48,000. The Emigrant's Guide, published in 1849 in St. Louis, suggested the following supplies for three people headed west on the Oregon Trail:

Food: Flour (1,080 lbs), bacon (600 lbs), coffee (100 lbs), tea (5 lbs), sugar (150 lbs), rice (75 lbs), dried fruit (50 lbs), salt and pepper (50 lbs), saleratus (baking soda) (10 lbs), and lard (50 lbs). Also corn meal, hard-tack, dried beef, molasses, vinegar, eggs, and beans.

Tools and equipment: Plow, shovel, rake, hoe, carpentry tools, saw, mallet, ax, plane, spade, whetstone, axles, kingbolt (joins the body of a wagon to its front axle), ox or mule shoes, spokes, ropes and chains.

Cooking utensils: Oven, skillet, kettle, coffee grinder, teapot, knife, ladle, tin tableware, water keg, and matches.

Seeds: Corn, wheat and other crops.

Weapons: Rifle, shotgun, pistols, knife, hatchet, powder, lead, bullet mold, powder horn, bullet pouch, and holster.

Clothing: Wool coats, rubber coats, cotton dresses, buckskin pants, duck trousers, cotton shirts, woolen undershirts, cotton drawers, flannel shirts, cotton socks, boots, shoes, ponchos, felt hats and sunbonnets.

Bedding and tents: Blankets, ground cloths, pillows, tent, poles, stakes, ropes.

Luxuries: Canned goods, plant cuttings, books, musical instruments, dolls and toys, family albums, jewelry, China, silverware, fine linens, iron stoves and furniture.

Miscellaneous items: Surgical instruments, liniments, bandages, camp stool, chamber pot, washbowl, lanterns, candle molds, tallow, spyglasses, scissors, needles, pins, thread, toothbrushes, soap, comb, brush, and towels.

What did you need to try your luck on the Oregon Trail?