Hardships they faced: 1. The mountain men feared attack by fur thieves, Indians, and bears 2. Death from accident or disease was prevalent

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1 The Oregon Trail Between about 350,000 people traveled west in covered wagons. They would gather near Independence, Missouri for a journey that lasted 4-6 months covering over 2000 miles. The following groups each had reasons for traveling west. Read through the material, then choose 1 group s point of view and write a historical fiction short story. Think about the elements of a short story such as characters, plot, conflict, dialogue, etc. Use the attached graphic organizer to help plan out your story. THE EXPLORERS Lewis and Clark led this expedition in May of By winter Sacagawea and her son joined the expedition to act as a translator. By December 1805, they reached their final destination, the Pacific Ocean in current day Oregon. 1. They wanted to begin trade with Indian people 2. They hoped to find the Northwest passage 3. They wanted to find out what the United States had bought when it purchased the Louisiana Territory in Rowing the boat against the Missouri River current caused blistered hands and sore muscles 2. Mosquitoes and grizzly bears 3. Prickly-pear cactus thorns pierced their feet 4. Starvation 5. Indian attacks 1. The explorers mapped the route to the Pacific 2. They established good relations with western Indian people 3. They brought back information about the West 4. Encouraged other explorers 5. Scientific data recording new plant and animal species

2 THE MOUNTIAN MEN THE TRAPPERS In 1807, Manuel Lisa followed Lewis and Clark s route to find valuable furs for trading. 1. The trappers went to search for furs 1. The mountain men feared attack by fur thieves, Indians, and bears 2. Death from accident or disease was prevalent 1. The mountain men explored the West 2. Their routes became the Oregon and California Trails 3. Their trading posts became supply stations for settlers 4. They kept personal journals which still entertain us today THE CALIFORNIOS In 1769, Junipero Serra led soldiers and priests from Mexico to California to convert the California Indians to Christianity. While traveling he granted his soldiers and settlers large amounts of land. In 1821 California came under Mexican rule. Because California was so far away from its capital of Mexico City, the territory was neglected. In 1846 the United States captured California as part of the war with Mexico. 1. Spanish priests went to establish missions 2. Other Spanish settlers wanted to find land for settlement 1. Neighbors lived so far apart that loneliness was a daily problem 2. Government officials were unskilled and dishonest 1. The Californios gave us Spanish names for California cities 2. They brought new crops such as grapes, olives, and citrus 3. They opened California to the world

3 THE MISSIONARIES In 1831 three Nez Perce Indians traveled to St. Louis to learn more about the white man s ways. They requested someone to go back with them to teach their people the secrets of the Black Book, the Bible. In 1836, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and Henry and Eliza Spalding made their way West along the Oregon trail. The couples survived proving that yes, women could endure the journey. 1.The missionaries intended to convert Native Americans to Christianity 2.They also wanted to help settle the country and establish churches 1. Crossing the steep Rocky Mountains in wagon was difficult 2. Hostile Indian warriors sometimes attacked them 1. These settlers brought disease and death to many Native Americans 2. They opened the West to settlement THE PIONEER WOMEN Most of the women who traveled to the west were wives and mothers, but some were seeking land, husbands, and new opportunities. Even African American women headed West to escape slavery. 1. Women moved West to find new opportunities, such as establishing homesteads and finding husbands 1. Leaving the comforts of home and leaving treasured items along the trails was emotionally difficult 2. Cooking, washing clothes, and caring for children while traveling miles a day was grueling work 3. Disease and accidents killed loved ones 4. Along the trail, they suffered from cold and thirst 1. Women brought schools, churches, libraries, literary societies, and charitable groups to the rugged west 2. They fought for and won the right for women to vote in the West

4 THE FORTY-NINERS Between , 250,000 people headed west in search of gold in California. About two thirds were Americans and the rest came from Mexico, South America, Europe, Australia, and even China. Due to war with Mexico, disease, overall hardship, and end of the gold rush the population dropped to just around 30,000 by The forty-niners hurried west to find gold 1. They had a difficult journey to California, by either land if they were American or by rough seas if from elsewhere 2. High prices for eggs, bread, and flour made it difficult to get ahead 3. There were no police to keep order, so camps were rough and dangerous with many fights over the gold 4. Gold mining was hard, tedious work 1. Warfare and disease reduced the Native American population 2. Many Californios lost their land to these newcomers 3. Their arrival increased the population of California so that it could become a state

5 THE MORMONS Since 1830 the religious group had been persecuted for mainly their acceptance of polygamy, the practice of having more than one wife. In 1846, Brigham Young led a group of Mormons to Utah to be able to practice their faith in peace. By 1877, Utah had 125,000 Mormons living in over 500 settlements. 1. The Mormons moved west to escape persecution back east 1. Their road was a difficult journey with many deaths 2. Life in a dry, barren land was difficult for these farmers 1. Mormons were the first pioneers to settle in the Great Basin, Utah area 2. They pioneered farming methods such as dams, canals, and irrigation ditches to make farming in the dessert of Utah possible 3. They helped other settlers make their way west by planting crops and building shelters along the route 4. In Utah, they established a center for what is now a worldwide religion THE CHINESE To poor and hungry Chinese peasants, California sounded like paradise. By 1852, 20,000 Chinese ventured to California in search of gold. At first they were welcomed, but as the gold became more scarce the legislature passed a law requiring all immigrants pay a monthly fee. When that failed the Americans tried to bully them out by burning villages and physical beatings. The discouraged Chinese left the mines to open restaurants, laundries, and stores. So many settled in the San Francisco area they named it Chinatown. 1. The Chinese migrated across the Pacific to find gold and riches 1. Laws taxing foreign miners drove these Chinese out of the gold camps 2. Chinese immigrants suffered persecution by Americans 1. The Chinese helped develop agriculture in California 2. They brought their culture to the West