A Journey on the

Oregon Trail

Introduction

The Oregon Trail was the only practical passage to the entire western United States - it was the only feasible way for settlers to get across the mountains.  The journey west on the Oregon Trail was exceptionally difficult.  One in 10 died along the way.  Many walked the entire two-thousand miles barefoot.  The first emigrants to go to Oregon in a covered wagon made the trip in 1836.  Over the next 25 years, more than a half million people went west on the trail.

Task

There will be a group project and an individual project required.  For the group project, the class will divide into groups of five. Each group will be a family traveling west on the Oregon Trail.  Your group will be required to make a list of supplies that your family will be taking on the trip.  You will be required to justify why you need each item.  As an individual, you will be required to write five journal entries detailing your life on this trip west.  

Process

Group Project

·         Determine individual roles for each group member.  Remember:  you are a family.  For example:  mother, father, grandparent, children.

·         As a group, make a list of supplies you think that you'll need for the trip.  The wagon that you'll be using measures 10 feet long, 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep.  You will need enough supplies to sustain your family for the entire 2,000 mile trip, which will take approximately 4-5 months. REMEMBER:  since you are very limited with space, you must justify why you are including each item.  Also, keep in mind that you may need to include items that you'll need to begin your new life in the west.

·         Check out the resources listed below for information on the Oregon Trail:  the wagons they used, the supplies they included, what life was like on the Trail.

Individual Project

·         Individually, write five journal entries detailing your trip west.  Journal entries should include sights you might see, problems you might encounter such as sickness, breakdown of your wagon, weather conditions, encounters with Indians or wild animals, etc.  Remember:  you are writing this journal entry as the family member that you have been assigned.  For example, if you are the father, your journal entry will be written from the viewpoint as the "leader" of the family.

·         Your five journal entries should include:

    1. Describe your plan for the trip.
    2. Describe the first weeks of the trip.
    3. Describe how your journey is progressing after 2 months.
    4. Describe the end of the trip.
    5. Describe reaching your final destination and how you feel.

·         Each journal entry should:

1.      Be dated.

2.      Be historically correct.

3.      Tell where you are on the trail according to landmarks, rivers,etc.

4.      Be creative and descriptive.

Resources

·         The End of the Oregon Trail

Evaluation

You will be graded based on the following:

  • Did you research all of the available resources?
  • Have you limited your supply list to basic survival needs?
  • Are you fairly certain that all of the items on your supply list will fit into your wagon? (Remember the dimensions of the wagon!)
  • Did you give reasons to justify each item on your supply list?
  • Are your journal entries historically correct?
  • Does each journal entry tell where you are on the trail (landmarks, rivers, etc.)?
  • Are the journal entries creative and descriptive?

Conclusion

Your research on the Oregon Trail has increased your understanding of the trials and tribulations that these emigrants faced on this long journey. Without the Trail, most of the American West would likely not be a part of the United States today.  

This page was written by Michele Wright, Indiana University student.

Last updated March 2005 by Trisha Armstrong