Quia - The Oregon Trail (2024)

FAQs

What is The Oregon Trail called now? ›

In 1978, Congress designated it as the Oregon National Historic Trail, part of the National Trails System. While only about 300 miles of actual trail ruts still remain, the route is preserved with over 125 historic sites, auto tour routes, and markers.

Walking the trail is a different kind of hiking experience! In some places, the historic trail is a current modern-day hiking trail. In others, it could be a modern-day asphalt road. Experiences vary, so please check with individual locations for more details.

While PlayStation now has the new and improved Oregon Trail available for those with a PS4 or PS5, other platforms have been hosting the game as early as 2021. The new version of The Oregon Trail is currently available on these platforms: Apple Arcade. Google Play.

If you grew up in Oregon during the 70's and 80's, you will remember The Oregon trail (1971 video game). Above is a free version you can play right here for as long as you like. Be sure to bookmark it or share it with friends and family as well.

The most dangerous period of the emigration was the early 1850s, when cholera broke out in the jumping-off towns along the Missouri River. The emigrants and Gold Rushers headed for Oregon and California picked up the disease while outfitting for the journey and carried it west along the Platte and North Platte Rivers.

The bluffs close proximity to the river forced the emigrant trails onto a narrow path that went up and over the bluffs. Over time, as thousands of wagons, emigrants, and livestock went up the rise, ruts were carved into the dry bluffs. These ruts are still visible today at Sutherland Rest Area.

The primary route of the Oregon Trail passed through Echo Meadows from 1847-1860. Just four miles from the Umatilla River crossing, emigrants did not stop or camp here, but they left signs of their passing nonetheless. Deep wagon swales were created as the emigrants passed through the meadows, which remain to this day.

The Trail passes through the following seven states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The trail begins at its eastern end in Wayne City, Missouri, but emigrants also departed from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. The route ends in Oregon City, Oregon.

Perhaps some 300,000 to 400,000 people used it during its heyday from the mid-1840s to the late 1860s, and possibly a half million traversed it overall, covering an average of 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) per day; most completed their journeys in four to five months.

Oregon Trail Route

It was critical for travelers to leave in April or May if they hoped to reach Oregon before the winter snows began. Leaving in late spring also ensured there'd be ample grass along the way to feed livestock.

How many miles was The Oregon Trail? ›

The historic 2,170-mile (3,490 km) Oregon Trail connected various towns along the Missouri River to Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was used during the 19th century by Great Plains pioneers who were seeking fertile land in the West and North.

Along the way, they need to purchase supplies, hunt for food and make myriad choices. The game ends when the player reaches Oregon, or if they die along the trail; death can occur as a result of such things as disease, starvation, lack of clothing in cold weather, snakebites and hunting accidents.

No, but you will need to be connected to the Internet to access leaderboards. Was this article helpful?

Today much of the Oregon Trail follows roughly along Interstate 80 from Wyoming to Grand Island, Nebraska. From there U.S. Highway 30 which follows the Platte River is a better approximate path for those traveling the north side of the Platte.

Some Indians called the Prairie Schooners, "horsecanoes" or "winged canoes". Indians called the Oregon Trail "the Great Medicine Road."

From Council Bluffs, Iowa to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, the trail follows much the same route as the Oregon Trail and the California Trail; these trails are collectively known as the Emigrant Trail. The Mormon pioneer run began in 1846, when Young and his followers were driven from Nauvoo.

With the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in Utah in 1869, westward wagon trains decreased significantly as settlers chose the faster and more reliable mode of transportation.