The Oregon Trail Parallels The Lewis And Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark expedition is a significant part of the history of the United States

. Led by two Indian war veterans, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expeditions objectives were to scour the Pacific Coast for scientific and commercial purposes. The journey to the West took off in 1804, and traversed across the Rocky Mountains.

In November 1805, the expedition reached its destination on Pacific Ocean region which is now known as Oregon. And thus, the route got its name, the Oregon Trail.

In 1843, the great migration had begun. By 1869 over half a million people had moved to the West. People traveled to Oregons Willamette Valley in the hope of finding farmlands, and some headed towards California in pursuit of gold. Known as the practical passage to the Western region, the Oregon Trail was in no way an easy route but provided the most feasible travel option to emigrants. The travelers had to trek for 2000 miles and cross various rivers and streams along the route. They had to face many adverse conditions on the journey that began from the Platte Rover towards its headwaters and then across the mountains.

From there, they followed the Snake River and trekked till the Columbia River to what is now called Portland. Many people drowned while crossing the rivers and the enormous thunderstorms were always a source of grave danger. For the overwhelmingly long journey, people had to bring along food in wagons hauled by oxen. Because of the overloaded wagons, most people had to complete the excruciating journey on foot. Another hardship that cost many lives on the journey were due to Cholera deaths.

Thanks to the discovery of the Trail, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Utah are part of United States today. The Trail led to settlements in the West that expanded the nation into United States of America.

The journey on the Oregon Trail has many amusing anecdotes related to it. To make the journey trouble free, people came up with all sorts of interesting ideas. One such traveler apparently tried to fly off a wagon towards the West. Another farsighted traveler, carried along two extra wagons loaded with apple, cherry, pear, plum and black walnut trees across the whole Trail! A newly married woman had to bear the journey with her husband and her ex-boyfriend. Lack of amusement, led the kids to toss around cow dung chips in Frisbee like manner, though more practical use was burning the chips for fuel.

In many regions, the wagon ruts from the Oregon Trail can still be seen and historians are work hard to preserve the Trail as a national treasure. The legend of the Oregon Trail was made into TV serials and movies and even an educational computer game. To commemorate the historic Trail, a number of museums and visit centers were constructed. Visitors get a chance to visit the past and experience the Oregon Trail in all its authenticity. From watching actors re-enact the Trails history to riding the 1850 style wagons, one can live the Oregon Trail adventure even today. The exhibits and special events on the Oregon Trail give an opportunity to bring alive the past.

The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon, offers history demonstrations and interpretive programs and trails to the visitors. Adding to the experience are pioneer figures, replica wagons, life-size exhibits, wildlife and vegetation of the natives, and audiovisuals depicting life of emigrants while on the Trail.

by: Anthony Connor

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