Volume 44- No. 7
February 14, 2013
by Frank Lorey III
The great westward trek to California, Oregon, and other western destinations started in 1841, and by 1850 almost 100,000 people had traveled along the trails. Of course it really picked up after the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California, and most of those made the trip during 1849 and 1850. Not all that started the trek lived to reach the end of the journey, however. By the start of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, around 750,000 people had already headed west.
There was not much "traffic" to contend with on the early trails. At first, the westward parties could go days or even weeks without seeing another white person, but during the gold rush, it was not unusual to see a group ahead in the distance as well as a group behind. At the peak, around 1850, as many as 3000 wagons could be on any of the major trails at one time. There were many factors driving this migration. At first, people wanted greater opportunity than back east, including the chance to own land. Business conditions were tough in the large cities. Many of those heading west were not well educated, and the economy back east just did not reward their labor. It was the discovery of gold that really catalyzed the westward migration.
There were many rewards of braving the dangers and moving to the west. You could get up to 160 acres of low-cost land by homesteading. The land was very cheap--it ran only $26-34 for the 160 acres if you stayed on the land for the minimum of five years, or you could buy it outright after 6 months for only $1.25 per acre. The Homestead Act of 1862 was really meant to promote agriculture in the The Paper - 760.747.7119
website:www.thecommunitypaper.com
email: thepaper@cox.net
West, but many times people set up homesteading without planning for adequate water supplies to do any serious farming.
There were several primary methods of traveling west. You obviously could walk, but that took more time, exposing you to more danger. You had to carry supplies or
drag a small cart with provisions, slowing you down further. Plus, there was no way you could bring along adequate supplies, so you had to hunt and trade along the way to survive.
Individuals on horses could make much better time, but you still really couldn’t carry that many supplies. The best
method was to join up in wagon trains—you could carry the needed supplies and share the burden. Obviously group travel offered the most security, too.
Most trips west began with certain popular departure points. From 1827 until 1846, the first major “jumping off” point was Independence, Missouri. Then other towns
“The Unusual Migration” Continued on Page 2