The legacy of the Oregon Trail
Wagon trains all but ceased after the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. The development of the Oregon Trail expanded settlement of the United States to the west coast. It was a mass migration on a massive scale. The Trail was successful in terms of growing the western part of the United States, but that came with a cost.
Indigenous cultures had lived there and set up communities, and the Oregon Trail changed their landscape as more and more emigrants made their way westward to chase riches and dreams. The trail also meant the encroachment of settlers on Native American lands that would lead to conflict, depletion of resources, and many deaths on both sides. The Oregon Trail’s dark legacy is still buried in the hundreds of unmarked graves that speckle the American west.
Where did we find this stuff? Here Are Our Sources:
Basic Facts about the Oregon Trail. Bureau of Land Management, oregontrail.blm.gov (n.d.)
Death and Danger on the Emigrant Trails (n.a.). National Park Service. (n.d.)
End of the Oregon Trail. Bethany Nemec, historicoregoncity.org. 2 April 2019.
The Indifferent Stars Above. Daniel James Brown (2015). Mariner Books.
Trail Basics – Indians. (n.a.) National Oregon/California Trail Center. (n.d).
