Traveling the Emigrant Trails (U.S. National Park Service) (2024)

FAQs

What were the death and danger on the emigrant trails? ›

Emigrants feared death from a variety of causes along the trail: lack of food or water; Indian attacks; accidents or rattlesnake bites were a few. But the number one killer, by a wide margin, was disease. The most dangerous diseases were those spread by poor sanitary conditions and personal contact.

The Emigrant Trail in Wyoming, which is the path followed by Western pioneers using the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails (collectively referred to as the Emigrant Trails), spans 400 miles (640 km) through the U.S. state of Wyoming.

9. Most of the emigrants on the Oregon Trail survived the trip. Between four and six percent of the emigrants died along the way - between 12,500 and 20,000 people. This is about one grave for every 200 yards of trail (the length of two football fields).

Many Americans lost their homes and fortunes, creating desire for new opportunities. California was just that; a land of opportunities, of milk and honey, where pre-cooked pigs ran with forks in their backs. California was new land in an ideal climate.

Death on the Trail

Death was an ever-present companion. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 emigrants died on the trail—between 20,000 and 30,000 people. The majority of deaths occurred because of diseases caused by poor sanitation. Cholera and typhoid fever were the biggest killers on the trail.

Couple found dead on California hiking trail likely tried to save baby, report says. The California couple that died in August on a remote hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest along with their 1-year-old and family dog likely succumbed to the extreme heat, the lack of water and exertion, according to a report.

Dysentery, smallpox, measles, mumps, and influenza were among the diseases named in diaries and journals, but cholera, mountain fever, and scurvy were probably the biggest killers. Mountain fever was not described well enough to pin down exactly what it was.

7:30 am: Men ride ahead on horses with shovels to clear out a path, if needed. “Nooning Time”: Animals and people stop to eat, drink and rest. 1:00 pm: Back on the trail. 5:00 pm: When a good campsite with ample water and grass is found, pioneers stop to set up camp for the evening.

The three main parts of the wagon were the bed, undercarriage, and cover. They were approximately 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. Wheels had to be extremely tough and were usually made of osage orange wood or white oak. The average wagon cost approimately $85 and the cover around $100.

They dug holes in the ground for toilets. Many emigrants probably didn't wash their hands afterward. Rain washed the contents of the holes into the streams or rivers.

How many bodies are buried along the Oregon Trail? ›

The Oregon Trail is this nation's longest graveyard. Over a 25 year span, up to 65,000 deaths occurred along the western overland emigrant trails. If evenly spaced along the length of the Oregon Trail, there would be a grave every 50 yards from Missouri to Oregon City.

Did they circle the wagons when they camped? Large wagon trains formed corrals by circling their wagons, where animals could be herded if needed. Small wagon trains generally did not form circles.

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.

How many miles would a typical wagon train travel per day? Wagons traveled between 10 and 20 miles per day, depending on weather, terrain, and other factors. Some wagon trains did not travel on Sunday while others did.

South Pass marks the halfway point of the Oregon Trail, a powerful symbolic landmark that lacked any distinguishing feature which we would actually think of as a landmark. Here, the emigrants crossed the Continental Divide and the eastern boundary of Oregon Territory.

Weather related dangers included thunderstorms, lethally large hailstones, lightning, tornadoes, and high winds. The intense heat of the deserts caused wood to shrink, and wagon wheels had to be soaked in rivers at night to keep their iron rims from rolling right off during the day.

Diseases and serious illnesses caused the deaths of nine out of ten pioneers. Such diseases as cholera, small pox, flu, measles, mumps, tuberculosis could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp. Cholera was the main scourge of the trail.

While some travelers made the trip without incident, the unforgiving climate, illness, mechanical failures, starvation, dehydration, and the potential for violent encounters created an array of challenges to prepare for and overcome. While some struck it rich, others lost their fortunes, their health, or their lives.

The Potawatomi Trail of Death was the forced removal by militia in 1838 of about 859 members of the Potawatomi nation from Indiana to reservation lands in what is now eastern Kansas. Map of the trail route: The tribe traveled from Twin Lakes, Indiana, arriving in Osawatomie, Kansas two months later.