America's Desire to Move West

2 Photo Credit: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/oregon-trail

    

From the very first European to step foot on North American shores, Americans have had the unrelenting desire to move west. In 1775 Daniel Boone explored the west directly against the British laws designed to keep settlers in the east. He traveled without supplies

and lived off the land as he traveled through the Cumberland Gap into the wilds. Following Boone’s steps and then making their own, Lewis and Clark came west in 1804 to become the first Europeans to travel overland to the Pacific Ocean. Along their way they found a coveted asset: beaver pelts. These thick coated mammals were used for the high fashions of the day and as such were worth the risks associated in obtaining them. The mountain man pursued them with vigor in the eighteen twenties to near extinction. The most prolific of these men was Jed Smith who learned quickly to work with the Indians. Showing Smith the way, the trails were etched deep for more to follow.

3 Photo Credit: http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/Hunting/Furharvesting/Furbearer-Gallery/Beaver-Castor-canadensis

     The beaver pelts became harder to harvest and silks soon replaced the sleek furs in the fashion trends. The West had been opened and American’s desire to move into the unknown was strong. People moved out along the Native American trails and in the footsteps of the mountain men by the thousands. Riding horses, pushing carts, walking travelers and covered wagons all brought immigrants westward. Averaging ten miles per day, the trip across the country took approximatly six months. Half of all of the travelers were children and one fifth of the women trekking were pregnant.

     This ticket to the new frontier was not cheap. Families saved for years or sold everything to fund the trip. A covered wagon with a good team of oxen cost the equivalent of five thousand dollars in today’s money. Ever inventive, drinking water was harvested from the canvas tops of wagons and oxen manure was dried for kindling. This wagon became the family’s ark, carrying one thousand pounds of food and supplies with them. Indians quickly saw an opportunity in the travelers, charging tolls for roads and river crossings. Costs varied, but the averages were approximately ten dollars for roads and one hundred dollars for river crossings in modern money. The road west cost more than money and supplies; the death rates for the travelers were high. There are ten graves for every mile along the Oregon/California trail.[1]

4 Photo Credit: Nick White, "The Big Hill", Oregon/California Trail Center, Montpelier, ID

*An interesting fact: The term “ox”, plural "oxen", refers to any breed of male cattle that was castrated and trained as a working animal. The invention of trains and cars made them obsolete; the word along with the idea of a trained adult steer. There are a few oxen still around but they are not common.

---

[1]America: The Story of US, "Westward," History Channel, September 3, 2011.