In the history of the American frontier, pioneers built overland trails throughout the 19th century, especially between 1840 and 1847 as an alternative to sea and railroad transport. These immigrants began to settle much of North America west of the Great Plains as part of the mass overland migrations of the mid-19th century. Settlers emigrating from the eastern United States did so with various motives, among them religious persecution and economic incentives, to move from their homes to destinations further west via routes such as the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. After the end of the Mexican–American War in 1849, vast new American conquests again encouraged mass immigration. Legislation like the Donation Land Claim Act and significant events like the California Gold Rush further encouraged settlers to travel overland to the west.
Two major wagon-based transportation networks, one typically starting in Missouri and the other in the Mexican province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, served the majority of settlers during the era of westward expansion. Three of the Missouri-based routes—the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails—were collectively known as the Emigrant Trails. Historians have estimated at least 500,000 emigrants used these three trails between 1843 and 1869, and despite growing competition from transcontinental railroads, some use even continued into the early 20th century. The major southern routes were the Santa Fe, Southern Emigrant, and Old Spanish Trails, as well as its wagon road successor the Mormon Road, a southern spur of the California Trail used in the winter that also made use of the western half of the Old Spanish Trail. Regardless of the trail used, the journey was often slow and arduous, fraught with risks from dysentry, infectious diseases, dehydration, malnutrition, cholera, highwaymen, Indian attacks, injury, and harsh weather, with as many as one in ten travelers dying along the way, usually as a result of disease.
The history of these trails and the settlers who traveled them have since become deeply embedded in the culture and folklore of the United States as some of the most significant influences to shape the content and character of the nation. The remains of many trail ruts can still be observed in various locations throughout the American West. Travelers may loosely follow various routes of the emigrant trails on modern highways through the use of byway signs across the western states.
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of westwardexpansion. Three of the Missouri-based routes—the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails—were collectively known as the Emigrant Trails. Historians...
Look up cut off or cutoff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Cutoff or cut off or cut-off may refer to: Cut Off, Louisiana, a town in the US Cutoff, Georgia...
Civil War, the 1849 Gold Rush, and the WestwardExpansionTrails (Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail). During the 20th century the phrase faded...
Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska. Beginning in 1851, two of the WestwardExpansionTrails passed through the gap, as did the Pony Express in the early 1860s...
Emigrant Trail California Historical Landmark, No.678 is on California State Route 36 west of Westwood, California. WestwardExpansionTrails California...
endeavor and pursuit of manifest destiny provided a strong impetus for westwardexpansion in the 19th century. The United States began expanding beyond North...
the American Civil War travelers continued to migrate westward along the WestwardExpansionTrails. When the Shoshone, along with the Utes participated...
The new museum features exhibits on a variety of topics including westwardexpansion and the construction of the Arch, all told through a St. Louis lens...
Oregon, California, and Mormon routes, collectively called the WestwardExpansionTrails. The emporium envisioned by Astor was a failure for a number of...
remnants of wagon ruts along the well-travelled trails are still visible today. Originally, westward movement began in small groups, but well-funded travelers...
America's Overland Trails. Random House. pp. 103–104. Reginald Horsman, Feast or Famine: Food and Drink in American WestwardExpansion (University of Missouri...
leader of wagon trains, bringing pioneer west, down one of the westwardExpansionTrails. Edward and Nancy came to California on the 1849 trip, together...
for westwardexpansion and heavily relied upon along such travel routes as the Great Wagon Road, Mormon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, and Oregon Trail, covered...
has undergone several rounds of expansion beginning in 1961, eventually reaching 30 teams with its most recent expansion taking place in 1998. MLB has discussed...
19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("manifest")...
Formation, Nevada Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area Emigrant Trails, see WestwardExpansionTrails Catopsilia, butterflies known as "Emigrants" Emigrant Savings...
half of the California Trail followed the same corridor of networked river valley trails as the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail, namely the valleys of...
route. The National Trails System Act of 1968 designated the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail as the first national scenic trails and paved the way...
played an important role in the westwardexpansion of the United States, providing the route for several major emigrant trails, including the Oregon, California...
Historical Landmarks in San Bernardino County, California WestwardExpansionTrails Mormon Trail Monument "CHL # 578 Stoddard-Waite Monument San Bernadino"...
economic development and settlement. It played a vital role in the westwardexpansion of the U.S. into these new lands. The road route is commemorated today...
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