Oregon Trail
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The Oregon Trail was the best land route to travel for American settlers looking to move into the new territory in the Western United States. It was the only practical way for settlers traveling in wagons to transport their tools, livestock, and supplies.
The Oregon Trail was the longest land route to the western territories. At first it was mainly used by fur traders and explorers. Settlers began moving along the trail in 1841. The "Great Migration" in 1843 happened when the first large group of immigrants (approximately 900), traveled along the trail. Years later 12,000 people made the journey to Oregon in 1848.
Families usually began their journeys at Independence, Missouri near the Missouri River. The Journey took nearly six month by wagon and the trail was about 2,000 miles long through deserts, parries, and mountains.
The Oregon Trail was the longest land route to the western territories. At first it was mainly used by fur traders and explorers. Settlers began moving along the trail in 1841. The "Great Migration" in 1843 happened when the first large group of immigrants (approximately 900), traveled along the trail. Years later 12,000 people made the journey to Oregon in 1848.
Families usually began their journeys at Independence, Missouri near the Missouri River. The Journey took nearly six month by wagon and the trail was about 2,000 miles long through deserts, parries, and mountains.
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. At first an international trade route between the United States and Mexico, it was the 1846 U.S. invasion route of New Mexico during the Mexican-Americcan War. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest, the trail helped open the region to U.S. economic development and settlement, playing a vital role in the expansion of the U.S. into the lands it had acquired.