A History, a past, and a Trail Essay

The denudation of the North the Statesn continent created, literally, an entirely new world. With the congestion of Europe and a desire for unc turn uph land, umpteen from the East loaded upon capacious carrier ships in sight of a new life. It was a presbyopic voyage across the Atlantic. The sight of the new world from off-shore had been described as salvation. What these settlers did non know was that they were entering into shore-side cities that were even more cramped than their original location. The flocking to America is what attributed to the congestion and size of raw York itself.This degraded living conditions and created an entirely new form of social status that had never been seen by Europeans. Something involve to be done to spread out the population of the Eastern shore side. Luckily our rookie government, accented out of a war, had a creative idea to promote a move to the West. These politicians, in a vote of fifty-two to fifty. decided to intervene by offerin g any married couple six-hundred and forty acres of land. This was the equivalent to one square mile of land. They labeled the effort Manifest Destiny. iodin potful imagine how tempting this sounds to factory workers and small time farmers.Previously to this, some early explorers persuasion it necessary to devise a route from East to West. Lewis and Clark were the first to map the excursion. The route they took covered 2,170 miles and lots covered all of the land that was accessible to wagons(Wiki). After a little fine-tuning by John Jacob Astor, to annul perilous areas of the Rocky Mountains and hostile Blackfeet Indians, the surgery caterpillar tread was set in stone. This sparked many to make the dangerous move from East to West. Settlers that lived in cramped suburbs and local Camp Towns now had the motivation to spread out their horizons in a search for wealth and happiness.Manifest Destiny developed from a dream to a reality. With all of this came the hearsay and rumo rs that many viewed as dangerous. Many had heard of the Dead Lands located in the siemens Hesperian dessert. Fatal stories were told about land that was non suited for farming. Although this caused a delay among some settlers, many had no choice to move westward, and set off on to their destination. Starting in Kansas City, the operating theater Trail began following the Santa Fe Trail. The growth of Kansas City can be attributed to being at the start of the massive trail Local business sky-rocketed within a few years (END).The need for supplies caused many stores to set out profitable overnight. Since there wasnt much along the route to Oregon, many had to stock up for the long journey. Horses, food, and spare parts were just some of the many items a traveler would need to complete the journey (END). Many referred to the Kansas City area as The Docks, in reference to it being a loading chase for the expansion. After leaving Kansas City, and sticking to the rules of survival, wagons would use the natural terrain to their advantage. Many would stick to lower valleys that followed the river.After a few years, the trail was very visible to those who traveled it however, this does not seem to hold true for the proportionality of the trip. Nebraska was in sight for most that started the trip. After crossing the Blue River it was just one river after(prenominal) another until arriving at the Rocky Mountains. Along the way, settlements began to form, which made the journey easier. The more who traveled, the easier it became. Many did not actually travel the entire route. If a good location or opportunity arose, families would start their new lives at that very spot along the trail (Wiki).Since many had no idea of where they were going to live when they spotless their journey, it made sense that, if a good location was spotted along the way, that became their rest home. This is what forged cities and trade routes along the way. Even in the Rocky Mountains p eople began to settle. Mountain towns became good places to start the logging industry. With the rivers along the Oregon Trail flowing from North to South, logs from the Rockies found their way back down the trail to Kansas City. The direction of trade, however, was not a one-way street.The towns that were created along the trail needed supplies too. Many who traveled beyond the Rocky Mountains were sure as shooting to bring over-stocked supplies with them. Supplies were almost as valuable as halcyon on the Oregon Trail. Beyond the Rockies, it was evenhandedly much a straight shot to Oregon. Following rivers one could go as far as Washington State. Many started homes in the forests of Oregon. After avoiding the southern desserts, it was clear that this area was suitable for cultivation and living. The except problem was that Oregon had harsh winters and very short windows of time for farming.New ways, such as the gold rush, were what sealed the fate of the northwestern states as being a contributing district of America. The settlers of western America were not just poor people looking for a way out of trouble. Many luxuriant tycoons took advantage of the rising boom towns. When starting any venture, most people need a lender. Banks started to spud at several points along the trail. In terms of business, it was common practice for towns to make their start, purely on credit. Many say that this is the reason the west side of the continent received venues for big business.It was until a newer alter method of conveyance was devised that the Oregon Trail became the secondary path to the west. Until the invention of the Transcontinental Rail Road, the Oregon Trail was the main route for traversing the middle section of the country (Vance, 1961). People still relied on animal-based transportation and inefficient ways to cultivate their lands . This is where a change needed to take place the most in our country. Since the land was harder to farm and many were having a hard time finding the resources to do so, many opine that ingenuity was the save answer to the wests problems.The need of the settlers is what sparked the inventions that farmers were looking for. New methods of plowing and irrigation were among the advancements along the trail. It seems, though, that pure luck and not the Oregon Trail is the hammer that etched the fate of the western states into stone. The prosperous Rush of 1848-1855 drove the remainder of the population to the west . The search for gold and prosperity could be seen in people throughout the country. Although most were left empty handed, they had at least gained a new home in the left side of our country. This new home would suit them nicely.In the end, the Oregon Trail can be said to have carved a path of prosperity along the horizon of our nation. The expatiate of this can often be seen in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many started on a destination of distrust and ended up with more tha n they had bargained for. The rest worked hard and put food on the plate. History is the only area that the Oregon Trail is used today. Even though US Highway number 26 practically parallels the trail, the duration of the trail stays in the culture and heritage of families that live in the Western United States.Works Citedhttp//www.endoftheoregontrail.org/histhome.htmlhttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail