Surviving History: Oregon Trail

Surviving History: Oregon Trail — page 1 — Many Americans saw the West as the future They wanted new lives 4 Introduction

Surviving History: Oregon Trail — page 2 — In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought land from the French This deal was called the Louisiana Purchase It doubled the size of the United States In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act Homesteads are homes and the land around them The U S government gave free land to farmers Farmers had to live on the land for 5 years They had to improve the land These events inspired people to travel west People wanted land They built new cities Americans had already started leaving their homes in 1840 From then until 1870 they headed west from the East Coast This was called Westward Expansion Expansion means a growth These Americans traveled along the Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a major route Routes are paths 5

Surviving History: Oregon Trail — page 3 — In 1978 the U S government officially named the trail the Oregon National Historic Trail Only 300 miles 483 kilometers of the original trail is left 6

Surviving History: Oregon Trail — page 4 — The Oregon Trail began in Independence Missouri It ended in Oregon City Oregon The Oregon Trail travelers were pioneers Pioneers are the first people to explore or settle an area In 1843 about 1,000 people traveled on the Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was known as this nation’s longest graveyard Pioneers faced many dangers About 1 in 10 pioneers died There were about 10 deaths per mile The Oregon Trail route ended when railroads were built This happened in the late 1800s Trains were easier faster and safer than wagons 7

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