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Oregon Trail Research Paper

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In 1801, Thomas Jefferson wanted to expand the United States, so he made the Louisiana Purchase and sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore. After eighteen months in the wilderness, Lewis and Clark believed a practical path across the United States had been found. Unfortunately, the path was too rough for wagons. Although the explorers did not find an easy route to Oregon, Lewis and Clark discovered a lot about the previously unknown land. Other explorers found a route for wagons to follow, and travel on the Oregon Trail began. Life on the trail consisted of pre-travel preparation, numerous hardships, and several interesting actions that reflect the realities of life for Oregon Trail pioneers.
After deciding to follow others …show more content…
Walking was the first of these difficulties, as the majority of pioneers walked the whole trail, which is 2,170 miles. According to a journal entry by Mary Ellen Murdock, an 1853 immigrant, she left Independence with ten brand new pairs of shoes. While walking the trail, Murdock wore out every pair except the last. She saved this pair for the Oregon Country by not wearing shoes for the end of her journey (Pioneer Tidbits 1). An additional hardship was caused by the sicknesses that were difficult to cure. These diseases spread quickly through the whole camp. The bad diseases included measles, mumps, and tuberculosis. Some diseases, such as cholera, had no cure. Cholera could spread to anyone, healthy or sick, children, adults, or elderly. However, sickness was not the leading cause of death. The hardships causing a considerable amount of death came merely from a variety of simple accidents or natural causes. Being run over by a wagon wheel was the most common (Center, Dangers). An example of how easy it was to fall out of a wagon was written by Catherine Sager Pringle, who was injured heading west as a …show more content…
Hill said, "The ferryman allowed too many passengers to get in the boat, and the water came within two inches of the gunwale. He ordered every man to stand steady as the boat was liable to swamp. When we were nearly across, the edge of the boat dipped; I thought the boat would be swamped instantly and drowned the last one of us." (T. O. Trail, Hardships)
Difficulties were also caused by child birth. Little medical care was available and nutrition was poor. After giving birth, the train had to keep moving west, so time allotted for mothers to recover from birth was limited (Whitman Mission National Historic Site). Travel did not stop when a pregnant lady joined the wagon trail. One never knew where labor would begin or if another woman would be available to help (Lusted

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