By Ashley Kersey

The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail covered more than 1,900 miles and stretched across over half of the United States. It has been called our nations longest graveyard and contributed to over 65,000 deaths in 25 years.

Perils of the Trail• River Crossings• Food Shortages

• Disease and sickness• Shootings

• Wagon Accidents• Facing the elements• Indian Encounters

Deschutes River Crossing

“The Oregon Trail crossed the hazardous Deschutes River at this point by floating the prairie schooners and swimming the livestock.”

Snakes River Crossing

“The river was six to eight feet deep, but its clarity was deceptive, making it appear shallower. Combined with its swift current, this was generally considered the most treacherous river crossing on the entire Trail.”

Starvation and Food Shortages

Although at times the settlers had to face starvation it was mainly the animals that perished.

One person said "Looked starvation in the face. I have seen men on passing an animal that has starved to death on the plains, stop and cut out a steak, roast and eat it and call it delicious.“- Clark Thompson, 1850

Sicknesses

The disease with the worst reputation was Asiatic cholera, known as the "unseen destroyer."

"First of all I would mention the sickness we have had and I am sorry to say the deaths. First of all Francis Freel died June 4, 1852, and Maria Freel followed the 6th, next came Polly Casner who died the 9th and LaFayette Freel soon followed, he died the 10th, Elizabeth Freel, wife of Amos [and Martha's mother] died the 11th, and her baby died the 17th. You see we have lost 7 persons in a few short days, all died of Cholera."- Martha Freel, June 23, 1852

MalariaMalaria was so bad in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa that some of the medical experts at the time said that those states would never be able to hold a permanent settlement.

Diphtheria

Diphtheria was caused by contaminated food and caused the most deaths in the children.

Shooting Accidents

Accidental shootings were very common on the trail but luckily the number of murders were few.Usually the shootings would consist of someone shooting themselves, oxen, or a trail member.

Wagon Accidents

One of the most prominent accidents occurred from wagon related injuries. The result would usually be broken bones but in a few cases it would be fatal.

According to Virgil Pringle (1846), "Mr. Collins' son George, about six years old, fell from the wagon, and the wheels ran over his head killing him instantly, the remainder of the day occupied in burying him."

Weather

The settlers were faced with many obstacles from the weather. Some were killed because they were struck by large hail the size of baseballs.

Dust Storms

“The dust on the Trail itself could be two or three inches deep and as fine as flour.”

Large amounts of Snow

The settlers had to plan their voyage carefully because in the winter the mountain passes would be closed due to the large amounts of snow fall.

Summers on the Trail

Severe thunderstorms caused half a dozen setters to be struck by lightening.

The Indians

“Tales of hostile encounters far overshadowed actual incidents, and relations between emigrants and Indians were further complicated by trigger-happy emigrants.”

“The Ward Train, for instance, was attacked by Shoshones who tortured and murdered nineteen emigrants. One boy escaped with an arrow in his side.”

Works Cited

www.stockgraphix.com. The Oregon Trail Map. Graphic Picture. RVVirginDot.com. Snowbird Headquarters, July 5, 2010. Web .

November 5, 2011.

n.p. Life and Death on the Oregon Trail. Oregon-California Trail Association, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.

Crumlish, Paul. “Wide View of the Deschutes River Crossing the Marker.” Photograph. Deschutes River Crossing. The

Historical Marker Database, August 19, 2010. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. Oregon Trail Mileposts. Oregon-California Trail Association, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.

Milliken, Chuck. “Farewell Bend.” Photograph. Photo Images Along the Oregon Trail. National Park Services , n.p. Web.

November 5, 2011.

Jackson, William. “.Along the North Platte River, Oregon Trail.” Photograph. Digging In The Historic Trails of Nebraska.

Bringham Young University, n.p. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. Life and Death. Historic Oregon City, 2008. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. “Emigrant Family.” Photograph. Historical Trails. National Oregon/California Trail Center, n.p. Web. November 5, 2011

Sublette County Historical Society. Oregon Trail Grave Marker. 1944. Sublette County, Wyoming. The Pioneer Graves of

Sublette County. Sculpture. November 5, 2011.

Badzioch, Christopher. “Malaria Killer.” Photograph. Should DDT Be Used to Combat Malaria? Scientific American, May 4, 2009. Web.

November 5, 2011.

Works Cited continued:

n.p. Doctors and Diseases on the Oregon Trail. Historic Oregon City, 2008. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. “Deaths Along the Trail.” Graphic Picture. Historical Trails. National Oregon/California Trail Center, 2010. Web. November 5, 2011.

Honeycutt, Mimi. Diseases People Had on the Trail. Ehow Health, May 5, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.

Benton, Thomas. “Chapter XV: The Hunting Camp.” Graphic Picture. The Oregon Trail Illustrations. University of Virginia, 2009. Web.

November 5, 2011.

Tolerico, Diana. “Across Nebraska.” Picture. Life on the Open Road. Diana Tolerico, August 27,2008. Blog. November 5, 2011.

n.p. “Accidents and Illness.” Oregon/California Trails Association, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.

Whitton, Gary. “Pioneer Wagon Wheels.” Photograph. Dreamstime. Dreamstime Inc, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.

Morganti, Brian. “HP Super cell b- Yuma.” Photograph. 2008 Chase Images. Storm Effects. 2008. Web. November 5, 2011.

Underwood, Todd. Frontier Trails of The Old West. Jeu Publishing, 2000. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. Dust Storm Near Beaver, Oklahoma. July 14, 1935. Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, New York. Great Depression Picture: A Dust Storm

in Oklahoma. Photograph. November 5, 2011.

n.p. “Map of the Trail.” Map. Oregon Trail. Bandersnog Int, 2005. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. Chest of Hardships and Challenges. Oracle Think Quest, 2002. Web. November 5, 2011.

Miller, Shannon. “Summer Storms.” Photograph. Oregon Star Party’s Lightening Tree. Oregon Star Party, 2004. Web. November 5, 2011.

Works Cited continued

n.p. The Oregon Trail. Boettcher/Trinklein Inc, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.

n.p. “Friendly Indians Following Wagon trail.” Graphic Image. Historical Trails. National Oregon/California Trail Center, 2010. Web.

November 5, 2011.

Russell, Charles. “Attack on a Wagon Train.” Painting. Attack on a Wagon Train. 1st Art Gallery, 2011. Web. November 5, 2011.