Oregon Trail

Understand

The Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition opened the Northwest for white settlement, and marked the beginning of the Wild West era. The "mountain men" and fur traders who traveled upstream in the early 19th century were few. The first known mountain passes were barely adequate for a horse and rider. As better routes were found, wagon trails gradually were built westward, laying the groundwork for the Great Migration of 1843. Nearly a thousand settlers crossed the Rocky Mountains in that single year. The Organic Act of the Oregon Territory (1843) granted 640 acres (a square mile, 2.56 km²) of free homestead land per couple in the vast Oregon Territory, which covered what is now Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Wyoming and Montana. The weakened position of southern states during the American Civil War (1861–1865) gave U.S. federal authorities free rein to promote homesteading and westward expansion. Unimproved homestead land was often free or available for as little as $1.25/acre. The Emigrant Trail flooded with Oregon-bound homesteaders (1843–1854), who were soon followed by Mormon pioneers (1846–1847) and California gold rush prospectors (1849) heading west. Travelling by wagon, an average group of migrants could complete the Oregon Trail in about six months.

Weather was a major concern; as some mountain passes and river crossings went from treacherous to impossible in winter, expeditions departed in early spring to give time for safe arrival. Hundreds of settlers travelled together as large wagon trains, keeping mutual assistance available in time of need. Migrants traded with other travellers when supplies ran low, abandoning items on the trail when wagons became too heavy for animals to pull. An ox-drawn cart at two miles an hour would need to crawl ten hours a day for more than a hundred days to cover the 2,200-mile trail – and obstacles and delays routinely increased that time. Horses were faster but more expensive, and needed to be fed, while an ox could graze like a cow. Mules had their own stubborn characteristics. The people and animals often needed to stop for food and water, resting if they were injured or had fallen ill

Prepare

In the pioneer era, this lengthy journey required careful planning. A farmer often already owned wagons and oxen, but many supplies needed to be purchased and unnecessary items kept off the wagons to keep weight down. Dried, salted or tinned foodstuffs were chosen as they could be preserved for long periods of time. Firearms and ammunition allowed hunting to stretch limited food stocks, if the traveller was skilled in their use. Supplies and skills to repair damaged wagons or treat injured voyagers were essential; opportunities to acquire needed items en route were few and prices became progressively worse as the pioneer ventured further into the hinterland. Today, the trail can be spread out over a week without much difficulty. It's a good trip for summer, between June and August. Too early or too late in the year may find some roads impassable due to snow, particularly in Wyoming, and some sights are closed between November and March. Summer will be hot but manageable as long as you carry sunscreen (and your wagon has air conditioning). There will be some long days on the road, so it would be wise to choose a comfortable vehicle and agree upon a code of conduct among the members of your travel party. You can stock up on provisions at the start of the trail in Independence or Kansas City. While prices have risen since Matt's General Store was selling foodstuffs at $0.20/lb in the game, there are many places to eat meals and buy snacks each day along the trail. With prices and selection largely consistent along the route, there is no need to load hundreds of pounds of supplies into wagons at the trailhead. Trail-side accommodations of all sorts are available. Major hotel chains can be found off the interstates, while there are motels with local charm (for better or worse) in smaller towns on state routes. There are plenty of campgrounds, which may be closer to the conditions in which early pioneers slept when circling the wagons for the night. Reservations may be necessary during the height of summer in national parks. The U.S. National Park Service is a good source of information on the Oregon National Historic Trail; their site includes downloadable maps, broc

Get in

The journey begins in Independence (Missouri), which is directly southeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City has been a rail transport hub since 1865, having seen a dozen railways come and go over the years. Amtrak's Missouri River Runner reaches KCMO from St. Louis today, with onward connections to Chicago. Well served by highways, Kansas City (MCI IATA) is also the nearest major airport; several rental car firms operate from the Kansas City airport, downtown Kansas City or Independence.

Go

The National Frontier Trails Museum in 1 Independence is the perfect place to get into an Oregon Trail state of mind:

1 National Frontier Trails Museum, 318 W. Pacific, Independence, ☏ +1 816 325-7575, fax: +1 816 325-7579. M-Sa 9AM-4:30PM, Su 12:30-4:30PM, open year-round. Dedicated to several pioneer trails and America's westward migration as a whole, beginning with Lewis & Clark and the early fur trappers, but some fun exhibits challenge you to prepare as a pioneer would. Be sure to gather your travel party for a run at the test wagon. It's surrounded by shelves of weighted sacks of supplies like bullets, beans, and biscuits for you to choose; an alarm goes off if you overload the wagon. This is a great opportunity to argue about who would last how long on the trail without bacon or coffee and really stir up some emotions at the outset. Tales of woe from the trail, artifacts that were abandoned by actual emigrants, and heated debates over the relative merits of mules vs. oxen. $6, $5/seniors, $3/kids. As the birthplace of U.S. President Harry Truman, Independence boasts a few memorials to its favorite son; as he was born 20 years after the heyday of the Oregon Trail, it's best to try to ignore them. The 2 1859 Jail and Marshal's Home is period appropriate, in case you'd like to get further into the mindset. It's open April to October. Having stocked up on supplies, make it an early night, because tomorrow the journey begins in earnest.

This is a lot of driving for one day, but you might as well cover a lot of ground while spirits are high and the members of your party are still getting along. (The day could be split in half around Kearney if you prefer, but there aren't many trail-related sights in eastern Nebraska, so it will be a flat start to your trip.) Starting from Independence, take I-435 N to I-29 N toward 2 Omaha. Carry on to 3 Lincoln, where you'll pick up I-80 W. Either Omaha or Lincoln will make a good stop for lunch. This should get you to Fort Kearny in 4 Kearney, Nebraska with enough time to poke around:

3 Fort Kearny, 1020 V Rd, Kearney NE, ☏ +1 308 865-5305. State Historical Park and campgrounds open Memorial Day - Labor Day. Established

Respect

This journey crosses native land. The history of The Oregon Trail tends to be told through the eyes of early settlers on the wagon trains, an individualistic viewpoint focused on whether the voyager successfully reached the end of the trail. American cinema portrayed the Old West as a place of armed conflict between "cowboys and Indians", but these conflicts were rare in the early days. Between 1840-1860, fewer than 400 people on each side had been killed by conflict between colonists and natives while thousands annually died of disease, infighting, accident and misfortune. The natives were trading partners and their assistance often invaluable. Native relations soured when imported measles, smallpox, typhus and dysentery started causing the death of entire villages. Buffalo, once plentiful, declined in number and were disappearing from entire regions. The Massacre Rocks incident of Augus