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Westward
Expansion |
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Resources |
| Reporter:
is responsible for writing a news story that explains the migration
west. The story should include the who, what, when, where, why and
how of the westward expansion. |
- Who were
the people traveling west? Where did they come from? What were
they like?
- What items
would the pioneers need for their journey west?
- Where were
the pioneers going? What did they expect to find at their destination?
- When did
the migration west take place? How many people mad the journey?
- Why did
the pioneers migrate west?
- How long
did they travel? Was wagon train the only option?
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Wagon
Train
Outfitting
for the Trail
Getting
Ready to Leave
Western
Expansion- click
on the links for Learn about the Western Expansion and Trekking
the Oregon Trail |
Provisions
of the Oregon Trail
Routes
to the West
Oxen,
Horse or Mule
The
Donner Party
Wagons |
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| Scientist:
is responsible for reporting on the wildlife, natural hazards and
physical hazards that a wagon train might have encountered. |
- What
wildlife would pioneers expect to see as they traveled west?
- How was wildlife
helpful to the pioneers on their journey?
- Explain how
wildlife could be dangerous to the pioneers.
- Natural hazards
were a significant factor in pioneer travels. Describe at least
two hazards that pioneers might encounter. (Hint: too much water,
desert, mountains)
- Physical
hazards were another major factor in traveling west. Describe
at least 2 physical hazards faced by the travelers. (Hint: disease,
accidents, Native Americans)
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Hardships
Along the Trail
Buffalo
On
the Trail
Granny
Remedies
Problems
of Illness, Stress, Privacy, and Traveling |
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Correspondent:
is responsible for keeping a journal for a typical wagon train.
The journal must have a minimum of five entries. Entries should
include the beginning of the trip, 1-2 months into the trip, 3-4
month into the trip, one significant event (illness, blizzard, flood,
Indian meeting) and reaching the destination. |
- What emotions
did pioneers experience as they prepared to make the long, hard
journey west?
- Research
some common experiences and emotions as people adjusted to life
on the trail? Give specific details of their day to day lives.
- What responsibilities
did the women have on the wagon train? How about the children?
- What effects
did several months of harsh trail life have on members of a wagon
train? Read several journal and diaries from true pioneers to
better understand the effects the journey had.
- Reaching
their destination was often bittersweet. Explain how this could
be possible. Describe their destination and the feelings pioneers
had upon reaching their new home.
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Women
on the Oregon Trail
Early
Life on the Plains
This site is a book, broken into chapters. Look at chapter headings
to see what is needed.
Heritage
Gateway Journals |
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Historian:
is responsible for capturing some of the unusual (funny, out of
the ordinary) stories, dispelling common myths of the wagon train
and researching two Native American tribes that pioneers might have
encountered. |
- People
often learn about the western frontier from movies and books,
which have idealized images of frontier life. Research what wagon
trains were really like to dispel some common myths.
- History is
full of unusual and funny events. The wagon trains have provided
many interesting stories. Find several examples of unusual events
from real wagon trains.
- During the
western expansion Native American tribes inhabited much of the
land west of the Mississippi. Research two tribes that wagon trains
would have encountered. Include accurate information about the
relationship between Native Americans and pioneers
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Oregon
Trail Myths
Fantastic
Facts
Native
Americans
Native
Americans-Plains Indians
Disrupting
the Natives
Fun
with Buffalo Dung |
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Photographer/Cartographer:
is responsible for capturing images that show life along the trail,
finding maps depicting trails that were used, writing captions for
each image and describing the many geographic features that the
pioneers needed to cross. |
- What
geographic features did the pioneers travel through on the journey
west? Describe the features and include pictures with captions.
- A pictures
is worth a thousand words. Locate images of the typical pioneer's
life. Choose images that depict daily life and travel, meeting
Indians, hardships, making a new home and other interesting images.
Be sure to write a caption to explain each image.
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Map
of Oregon Trail
U.S.
Territory Maps
Archives
of THE WEST -use the links on the left to find picture
Photographs
of the American West: 1861-1912- scroll down to find photo links |
Westward
Expansion in Western History
Oregon
Pioneer Photo Gallery
Horse
Drawn Wagons (be sure to check photo dates)
Trails
of Hope- Click on the map to see various images |
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