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The pioneers who travelled west in the 19th century often did so by boat, travelling down the Mississippi River, by ship to Panama, overland to the Pacific, and then by ship again to San Francisco and Portland. They also travelled by wagon, with the Conestoga wagon being the most popular mode of transport in the 1750s, and the Prairie Schooner becoming the most common wagon on the Oregon, California and Sante Fe Trails to the Western frontier.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Wagon type | Conestoga wagon |
| Wagon size | 28 feet long, wheels five feet tall |
| Wagon weight | 6 tons when loaded |
| Number of animals to pull wagon | 3 pairs of oxen |
| Alternative wagon type | Prairie Schooner |
| Alternative wagon size | 12-13 feet long |
| Alternative wagon weight | 1,300 pounds empty, 2 tons when loaded |
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What You'll Learn
- Many pioneers went west in search of gold and other precious metals
- Some pioneers were looking for better health in the mild Pacific Coast climate
- The Oregon Trail was one of the most travelled routes west
- The California Trail was another famous route west
- Pioneers were European American, Asian American, and free African American settlers
Many pioneers went west in search of gold and other precious metals
The Oregon Trail was one of the most travelled trails heading west. It started in Independence, Missouri, and passed through present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. Approximately 500,000 people made the journey on foot, in covered wagon trains, or on horseback. The Conestoga wagon was named for Conestoga Township in Pennsylvania where many German pioneers in the 1750s first started West on the Appalachian Trail to settle land east of the Mississippi. It was a huge and very heavy wagon, 28 feet long with wheels five feet tall and, loaded, could weigh as much as six tons and took three pairs of oxen to pull. Later, the much smaller Prairie Schooner became most common on the Oregon, California and Sante Fe Trails to the Western frontier.
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Some pioneers were looking for better health in the mild Pacific Coast climate
The journey was not without its challenges. One pioneer diary entry from 1853 describes a "very rainy morning" with "very bad roads", and the fear of being caught in a snowstorm. Another entry from the same year mentions the loss of two horses, and the need to guard cattle closely to prevent them from wandering off in the timber.
The pioneers also had to be mindful of the weight and size of their wagons. The Conestoga wagon, named for the township in Pennsylvania where many German pioneers first started West in the 1750s, was huge and heavy, weighing as much as six tons when loaded and requiring three pairs of oxen to pull. Later, the much smaller Prairie Schooner became more common on the trails to the Western frontier.
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The Oregon Trail was one of the most travelled routes west
The Oregon Trail was used by about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families to get to the area known as Oregon and its surroundings. The trail was also used by travellers on the California Trail, Mormon Trail, and Bozeman Trail before turning off to their separate destinations.
The Oregon Trail was not the only route west. The Conestoga wagon was named for Conestoga Township in Pennsylvania where many German pioneers in the 1750s first started West on the Appalachian Trail to settle land east of the Mississippi. Later, the much smaller Prairie Schooner became most common on the Oregon, California and Sante Fe Trails to the Western frontier.
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The California Trail was another famous route west
The California Trail was a mid-19th-century highway for human movement to the lures of gold and farmland in California. The trail has several splits and cut-offs for alternative routes around major landforms and to different destinations, with a combined length of over 5,000 miles (8,000 km). After it was established, the first 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 the Platte, North Platte, and Sweetwater rivers to Wyoming.
The trail was heavily used in the summers until the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. After about 1848, the most popular route was the Carson Route, which, while rugged, was still easier than most others and entered California in the middle of the gold fields.
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Pioneers were European American, Asian American, and free African American settlers
The pioneers who took this route were likely to have been German, as many German pioneers in the 1750s first started West on the Appalachian Trail to settle land east of the Mississippi. They would have travelled in Conestoga wagons, which were huge and very heavy, weighing as much as six tons and taking three pairs of oxen to pull. Later, the much smaller Prairie Schooner became the most common wagon on the Oregon, California and Sante Fe Trails to the Western frontier.
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Frequently asked questions
The Conestoga wagon.
The Prairie Schooner, or 'ship of the plains'.
From the 1840s to the 1860s, more than 300,000 people crossed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to reach the Pacific Coast.
European American, Asian American, and free African American settlers who migrated westward from the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States of America to settle and develop areas of the nation within the continent of North America.
