Oregon Trail reflects American culture

Oregon trail was first introduced on the Apple 2 in the 1970s. It required 2 floppy disks to complete the game. Its setting is 1848, and explorers start their journey in Independence City, Missouri. Their goal is to arrive at Oregon City, Oregon with everyone in their party in good health.

The 2,000 mile journey consists of trails where there are rivers, mountains and mud. There are buffalo and squirrels to hunt, but this is not an easy task. In fact, to aim at the buffalo takes skill and endurance from the player. Be careful of abandoned wagons. These are great places to finds treasures such as food, medicine and supplies. However, there are also  snakes that bite in the abandoned wagons. Mind you, they are not the friendly kind!

This is probably one of the few video games that has a historical reference. While most people consider this to be a video game, in 1848 people actually traveled the Oregon trail in covered wagons. Compared to today's standards, it was a difficult journey. Many settlers walked the 2,000-mile journey barefoot and 1 in 10 people died. In most instances, many of these deaths were caused by accidental gun shots. It's estimated that close to 500,000 settlers traveled the Oregon Trail in the midst of the mid-19th century. In fact, these settlers continued to travel west this way until the railroad was invented in 1869.

Shawnee Mission

Shawnee Mission, located in Kansas, was one of the first stops for travelers along the Oregon Trail. In 1839, Shawnee Mission was a Methodist outpost meant to teach English and agriculture to the children of the Shawnee tribe. This might be the emigrant's first interaction with the Indian who was forced to move eastward. Whereas they are natural hunters, the Shawnee tribe had to learn to farm in order to survive. This was often where tired travelers would spend their first night on the trail. While visitors stayed at the mission, they had the ability to learn how to make shoes and work leather for the sake of clothing.

Ft. Kearney

Ft. Kearney in Nebraska, built by the Platte River in 1848, was the first military post to protect the western emigrants on the journey. Over 30,000 people in route to California, Oregon and Utah passed through Ft. Kearney in the gold rush era. It was a reliable place to stock up on food and the fort had its own mail service. Furthermore, Ft. Kearney strived to protect the settlers journeying west from any Indian attacks. This fort was located at a place where many Eastern trails merged, and it often saw up to thousands of visitors per day.

Ft. Hall, which is located in Idaho, was a important stop for those traveling west on the Oregon Trail.  The fort was built was Nathaniel Wyeth who built the fort to sell surplus supplies to trappers and nearby tribes. His initial goal was to set up a fishery  and export salmon to New England and Hawaii, but this did not work out. In 1834, this was the only American-made fort that stood on the Oregon trail. This was a common place for travelers to abandon their wagons and continue the difficult journey on foot. However, this changed in 1843 when Marcus Whitman led a wagon train all the way westward to Oregon. 

Finally, Oregon City, Oregon was the final stop of the journey on the Oregon trail. It was founded in 1842 and connects the Williamette and Columbia rivers. Oregon City was the first incorporated city west of the Mississippi and became the territorial capital of Oregon. It was known to be a place where economic development was plentiful. Indians and whites could learn to live peacefully together. Once the emigrants reached Oregon City, many of them went on to start new lives. Many of them invested in homes and farms. If all the members of the caravan were alive, that was a blessing in itself.  

The Oregon Trail was one of the hardest trips early explorers of this nation could complete. Today, there are there are many versions of the game. However, we can't forget the people who were brave and courageous on this trail. Some did die of snake bites, fevers and much worse. They did have to abandon their wagons because they were broken or their animals were sick. They did starve and had to hunt for their food. The Oregon Trail makes us appreciate that much more. If not for these emigrants, we might not have such a rich history--and this would be at lost.