The Oregon Trail

On this day in 1843 the first major wagon train departs Elm Grove, Missouri.

A smaller band had left Independence, MO in 1841.

They followed the route blazed by fur traders, which took them along the Platte River through the Rocky Mountains via the South Pass in Wyoming and then northwest to the Columbia River.  This came to be known as the Oregon Trail.

With the promise of agriculture, many farmers hoped to find better prospects following severe depression in the Midwest.

The first part of the journey is through the plains, where river crossings could be dangerous, as well as possible attacks from Plains Indians, who valued the horses.  At night, the travelers would form a wagon circle to protect inside the enclosure.

Most injuries came from falling off horses and overturned wagons on the climb up the mountains. 

Also dysentery.

The vast majority of pioneers survived the trip, and migration continued on the trail until 1884, when Union Pacific constructed a railway along the route.