{"id":17657,"date":"2017-10-29T15:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-10-29T19:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mapofthemonth.com\/site\/?p=17657"},"modified":"2022-10-26T13:27:18","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T17:27:18","slug":"first-settlers-blaze-trails-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapofthemonth.com\/site\/first-settlers-blaze-trails-west\/","title":{"rendered":"First Covered Wagons reach California and Oregon in 1841"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Early pioneers blazed many trails as they crossed our country to reach the west coast. \u00a0\u00a0The first covered wagon reached California after an exhausting and life-threatening trip of over 6 months!<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

In May of 1841, about 70 people set out from Independence, Missouri, in Conestoga-style wagons, heading towards the west coast. They were determined to be the first pioneers to cross the Rocky Mountains to reach the west coast. \u00a0Although the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition had reached the Pacific Ocean in 1806, it was many years before the first wagon train reached California.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

When this group reached Idaho, they broke in half. The first group headed to Oregon.<\/p>\n

The second group set their goals on California, and after much hardship, they reached California on November 4th, 1841.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The travelers going west often encountered these life-threatening problems:<\/p>\n

Running out of fresh water and food<\/p>\n

Indian attacks<\/p>\n

Guns misfiring<\/p>\n

Pouring rain, hail, and death by lightning<\/p>\n

Falling off horses or mules<\/p>\n

Crushed by wagon wheels<\/p>\n

Drowning in river crossings<\/p>\n

Disease, such as flu, typhoid, dysentery, cholera<\/p>\n

Overturned wagons due to rocky terrain<\/p>\n

Runaway wagons on inclines<\/p>\n

Abandoned wagon trains in desert areas<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MAPPING THE TRAILS!<\/h2>\n

Here are some landmarks of the trails for each of those early groups that set out from Independence, Missouri. \u00a0Encourage your students to find photos of these places, and describe the terrain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can have them mark a map, like our TRAILS WEST map<\/a>,<\/strong> which shows all the major routes that crossed our country.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Click this image above to see this map in more detail, or see the map\u00a0HERE<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

FIRST WAGON TRAIN TO REACH CALIFORNIA<\/h2>\n

The settlers heading to California had to Cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains before reaching of Tuolumne County in California. Their route, after leaving Missouri, went like this:<\/p>\n

Followed the north shore of the Great Salt Lake<\/p>\n

Reached Mary’s River now called the Humbolt River<\/p>\n

Traveled to what is now Lovelock Nevada<\/p>\n

Followed the Walker River<\/p>\n

Crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains<\/p>\n

Reached the area around Mount Diablo, California<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIRST OREGON SETTLERS<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The other group of Oregon settlers took a 2,000 mile route. \u00a0This trail that became known as the “Oregon Trail”.<\/p>\n

This is a condensed list of landmarks along their trail:<\/p>\n

Started on the banks of the Missouri River<\/p>\n

Crossed the land of Kansas<\/p>\n

Crossed the southern Sand Hills in southern Nebraska.<\/p>\n

Followed the south shore of the Platte River<\/p>\n

Passed through southern Wyoming<\/p>\n

Crossed mountains to the Great Divide Basin<\/p>\n

Passed through the Rocky Mountains via the South Pass in Wyoming<\/p>\n

Followed the Snake River (now southern Idaho)<\/p>\n

Crossed the Blue Mountains<\/p>\n

Worked across land and mountains northwest to the Columbia River<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

OTHER RELATED RESOURCES<\/h2>\n

For more maps to share with your students, see this link<\/a> from the National Park Service.<\/p>\n

Firsthand written accounts of taking the Oregon Trail HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See our popular TRAILS WEST map HERE<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n

See our USA, Regions of Native American Culture map\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early November 1841 marks the year wagon trains first reached California. Learn how early pioneers blazed many trails as they crossed our country to reach the west coast and the exhausting and life-threatening trip of over 6 months!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4988,"featured_media":17680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[203],"tags":[230,229,227,228],"class_list":["post-17657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geography-blog","tag-california","tag-covered-wagons","tag-oregon-trail","tag-trails-west","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nFirst Covered Wagons reach California and Oregon in 1841 - Maps for the Classroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first covered wagon reached California in 1841 after a life-threatening trip of 6 months! 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