The interest in Oregon became widespread in 1842 when certain organizations were formed to encourage people to move to Oregon to get free land to farm on. The immigrants gathered in time to leave in the early spring. This was done to take advantage of fresh grass for the animals and allow more time for the long journey. It turned out being such a long journey because of it’s rough terrain such as the Rocky Mountains. While traveling on the Oregon Trail they passed through some of the Native American territories. Most of the Native Americans surprisingly traded items like clothes and food but others attacked the travelers on the trial. …show more content…
The trail was littered with goods and personally possessions that were thrown away. Dead horses and cattle were left along the trail while the bodies of the human dead were buried in shallow graves. About 15,000 to 20,000 people died on the journey caused by diseases such as cholera and smallpox. Deaths were also caused by wagons that got overturned crushing people and huge injuries from the kicking of horses and oxen. The journey of the Oregon Trail was one of the greatest trek in recorded history. The Oregon Trail was the way of hardship and danger that tested the strength of the earlier American Western Pioneers. It was a test like this that helped America what it is