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Who were mountain men?

MOUNTAIN MAN – a fur trader or trapper who lived in the West prior to regular settlement

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Mountain men were the first to set up trails through the mountains and map the territory

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Who was John Jacob Astor and what did he create?

He started the American Fur Company and bought skins, especially beaver, from mountain men

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In 1811, he founded a fur-trading post called Astoria. It was one of the first American settlements in the Oregon Country.

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Who was Jim Beckwourth?

JIM BECKWOURTH – former slave who became a mountain man, discovered a mountain pass into present day northern California

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JIM BECKWOURTH

MOUNTAIN MAN

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Why did people (families) begin traveling West?

People went west to Oregon for cheap land in an area that was reportedly very rich for crops

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What was the Oregon Trail?

OREGON TRAIL – 2,000-mile-long trail that led from Independence, MO to Oregon Terr.

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It followed the Platte and Sweetwater Rivers over the Plains and to the Rocky Mountains.

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OREGON TRAIL – THE WAY WEST

OREGON TRAIL

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How did people travel West?

IN WAGON TRAINS – groups of travelers on the trail who cooperate, making it less dangerous. They also set up leaders and rules.

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OREGON TRAIL RUTS - WYOMING

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What was the Santa Fe Trail?

SANTA FE TRAIL – a trail which lead from Independence, MO to Santa Fe, NM

Americans traders mostly used this trail to trade manufactured goods for horses, mules, and silver from Mexican traders

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Who were the Mormons?

MORMONS – members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (founded in NY by Joseph Smith).

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The Mormons moved west from NY in the early 1830s because of continued difficulties with other religions – they hoped to find religious freedom.

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The Mormons moved from New York, to Ohio, to Missouri, and finally to Illinois because of persecution

Smith was murdered in 1844

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Who was Brigham Young?

BRIGHAM YOUNG- leader of the Mormons who led them west to Utah to start a new settlement

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BRIGHAM YOUNG

LEADER OF THE

MORMONS

THE MORMON TRAIL

THE MORMON TRAIL

The Mormons eventually create Salt Lake City in Utah

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By 1860 over 40,000 Mormons lived in Utah