new trails that would emerge in the american west most often started from which point? course hero

What were the main trails of the westward expansion?

John Jacob Astor. This American merchant helped establish trade in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Trail. This route west stretched over 2,000 miles, from Missouri to Oregon and California. Santa Fe Trail. Americans traveled along this western trail to trade goods with Mexican merchants.

Why did people travel west in the 1800s?

This route west stretched over 2,000 miles, from Missouri to Oregon and California Santa Fe Trail Americans traveled along this western trail to trade goods with Mexican merchants. Mormons This group of settlers traveled tot the West to escape religious persecution. Fur Demand for this item led traders further west. went down

How was the first trail to the west formed?

In this way the first of the trails west was formed as a commercial route. Becknell's first journey led him out of Missouri and across the territory that would eventually become the state of Kansas.

Why did settlers emigrate to the west?

Settlers emigrating from the eastern United States were spurred by various motives, among them religious persecution and economic incentives, to move to destinations in the far west via routes including the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail.

What were the major routes of the Old West?

Settlers emigrating from the eastern United States were spurred by various motives, among them religious persecution and economic incentives, to move to destinations in the far west via routes including the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail. After the end of the Mexican–American War in 1849, vast new American conquests again enticed mass immigration. Legislation like the Donation Land Claim Act and significant events like the California Gold Rush further lured people to travel overland to the west.

Where did the Southern Emigrant Trail run?

Tied in with the Santa Fe Trail and the San Antonio-El Paso Road, by the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro the Southern Emigrant Trail route in 1849 ran westward from the El Camino Real to San Diego Crossing. After 1855 it ran from Mesilla, New Mexico, westward to Tucson, Arizona, then followed the Gila River to ferries on the Colorado River near what became Fort Yuma. It crossed the Colorado Desert to Vallecito, then up to Warner's Ranch. From Warner's the road split to run either northwest to Los Angeles or west southwest to San Diego.

What were the major southern routes?

The major southern routes were the Santa Fe Trail, the Southern Emigrant Trail, and the Old Spanish Trail, as well as its wagon road successor the Mormon Road, a southern spur of the California Trail used in the winter that also made use of the western half of the Old Spanish Trail. Regardless of the trail used, ...

How long did it take to cross the Oregon Trail?

The journey to cross the entire Oregon Trail in a covered wagon took from four to six months, following a winding trail 2,000 miles (3,200 km) through prairies, deserts, and across mountains to the Pacific Northwest. The journey was a severe test of strength and endurance so travelers often joined wagon trains traveling about 12–15 miles (19–24 km) per day. Settlers often had to cross flooded rivers. Indians attacked the wagon trains; however, of the 10,000 deaths that occurred from 1835 to 1855, only 4 percent resulted from Indian attacks. Cholera, smallpox, and firearms accidents were the chief causes of death on the trail. Food, water, and wood were always scarce, and the settlers often encountered contaminated water holes. During summer, the trail was crowded with wagon trains, army units, missionaries, hunting parties, traders, and even sightseeing tours. Some settlers complained that they sometimes had to start early in the day in order to find a good campsite ahead of the crowd. Others spoke of the need to wear masks for protection against the dust kicked up by the heavy traffic.

What was the most common vehicle for the Oregon and California-bound pioneers?

The most common vehicle for Oregon and California-bound pioneers was a covered wagon pulled by a team of oxen or mules (which were greatly preferred for their endurance and strength over horses) in the dry semi-arid terrain common to the high plains in the heat of summer.

Why did pioneer wagons travel year round?

Unlike the more northern routes, pioneer wagons could travel this route year-round, as the mountain passes were not blocked by snows. But, the trail had the disadvantage of high summer heat and lack of water in the desert regions of New Mexico Territory and the Colorado Desert of California.

What was the significance of the Santa Fe Trail?

economic development and settlement, playing a vital role in the expansion of the U.S. into the lands it had acquired. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path through the entire length of Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico has been designated as the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byw.

Where did the Oregon-California Trail start?

For most, the Oregon-California Trail began in Independence, Missouri, the western outpost of a young nation sprawling across the continent. Others left from St. Joseph or Westport, Missouri , and others still from Council Bluffs in present-day Iowa. These towns were booming with the business of outfitting wagon trains. Merchants sold wagons, guns, tools, livestock, food, and other supplies. Saloons, gambling halls, and brothels entertained the men during the evening. Emigration societies organized their members months in advance, and they met in the early spring to prepare for their departure. As soon as the ground thawed and the spring rains ceased, usually in April or early May, the parties would venture westward together, in groups small and large.

How did the wagons work in the West?

These wagons, (known as prairie schooners because their billowing canvas covers looked like a ship's sails from a distance) were about ten feet long, four feet wide, and two feet deep. Their sides were bowed out so that the contents got shifted toward the center, and the cracks between the wood were sealed to keep water out during river crossings. The wagons were usually pulled by a team of four oxen or six mules. Extra livestock were often brought along to let the animals work in shifts. In the end, most pioneers preferred the cheaper, stronger, hardier oxen to the mules.

How did Native Americans affect the emigrants?

Though legend has it that wagon trains crossing the prairie were under constant attack from marauding bands of Indians, in truth Native Americans posed little danger to the emigrants. Much of the contact between whites and Indians was peaceful, as Indians provided directions to emigrants passing through their lands, or as the emigrants traded their guns for Indian horses. Some of the tribes demanded that travelers pay a toll to cross their land. But not all relations between Indian and whites were peaceful. Indians sometimes slipped into camps at night and stole horses and other goods. The Pawnee tribe gained a reputation for thievery. Other tribes, such as the Crow and the Blackfoot, disliked the emigrants crossing their tribal lands and raided the camps or caught and killed stragglers. In the end, though, few whites were killed by Indians on the Oregon-California Trail. Of the 250,000 settlers who traveled the trails in the 1840s and 1850s, it is estimated that only 362 died at the hands of Indians.

What was the danger of wagon travel?

The danger most associated with wagon travel, of course, was Indian attacks. Though the risk has been exaggerated by movies and television shows, it was very real, especially as greater numbers of whites ventured across the Native American lands that the Santa Fe Trail traversed. The tribes that lived in the lands crossed by the eastern half of the trail—the Osage and the Kansas, or Kaw—generally left the travelers alone or negotiated treaties. But the Comanche, Kiowa, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Apache warriors who patrolled the western reaches of the trail were widely feared for their fierce attacks. A soldier named Henry Inman, quoted in Trails West, remembered that a landmark known as Pawnee Rock provided cover for Native Americans who would "dash down upon the Santa Fe traders like hawks, to carry off their plunder and their scalps." The ground around Pawnee Rock, he recalled, was littered with the graves of victims of the Indians' attacks. Travelers were well armed and often towed a cannon behind their wagons to announce their readiness to fight, but the small bands were often at the mercy of the Indians.

What were the dangers of the Santa Fe Trail?

Many travelers told harrowing tales of the horrors they encountered as they faced death in a land without water. Equally daunting were the prairie fires. Whether started by lightning or a carelessly tended campfire, a pra irie fire could sweep across the land with devastating speed, consuming all in its path. "The [perils of] these prairie conflagrations ... when the grass is tall and dry ... [can be] sufficient to daunt the stoutest heart," Santa Fe Trail traveler Josiah Gregg said (as quoted in Trails West ).

How did the frontier shape the American character?

Historians have long asserted that the frontier shaped the American character, making Americans tougher, more practical, and more independent than Europeans, who lived in relative luxury. The diary kept by Susan Shelby Magoffin, Down the Santa Fe Trail and into Mexico: The Diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, 1846–1847, certainly reinforces this assertion. Magoffin left Missouri a distinguished southern belle, delicate and refined, and traveled over the Santa Fe Trail with her husband in 1846. One thousand miles and several months later, she was a trail-hardened pioneer woman, afraid of nothing.

Where did William Becknell set out?

With a few companions and a string of pack mules, Becknell set out from Franklin, Missouri, which was at that point a major jumping-off point for the West. But Becknell's timing was better than that of his predecessors, for by the time he reached Santa Fe, the new governor, Facundo Melgares, welcomed the traders with open arms. Mexican men and women crowded into Santa Fe's central plaza to bid for Becknell's goods. The canny merchant realized that he could sell all that he could carry and soon laid plans to start regular expeditions from Missouri to Santa Fe. In this way the first of the trails west was formed as a commercial route.

Overview

In the American Old West, overland trails were built by pioneers and immigrants throughout the 19th century and especially between 1829 and 1870 as an alternative to sea and railroad transport. These immigrants began to settle much of North America west of the Great Plains as part of the mass overland migrations of the mid-19th century. Settlers emigrating from the eastern United States were spurred by various motives, among them religious persecution and economic incenti…

Trail choices

Santa Fe Trail

Old Spanish Trail

Oregon Trail

California Trail

Mormon Trail

Southern Emigrant Trail