Westward Expansion: Trails West
These sites are about the Santa Fe, Overland, California, and the Mormon Pioneer trails. See pictures of the West in the 1800s and study maps of the trails. Read about life along the trails. Includes eThemes resources on the Oregon Trail, Covered Wagons, and Westward Expansion: Hardships. Watch a video on Arrow Rock, a stopping point on the way West.
Grades
- 4,
- 5,
- 6
Links
-
Independence Rock: Pioneer Stories
Quotes from pioneers and an interactive map of the Mormon Pioneer Trail from the LDS website.
-
Photographs of the American West 1861-1912
A large collection of online photos grouped by theme including surveys, trails, soldiering, lawkeeping, life by the land, and life by the sea. Scroll down to click on the links to the photographs.
-
History of the American West, 1860-1920
Historic photos from the Library of Congress and the Denver Public Library.
-
Map Collections, 1500-1999
Browse the collections of "Geographic Location" to find 19th century maps of the Oregon Territory, Cheyenne, and Independence, MO.
-
Traveling On The Overland Trails
Links to documents in LOC's collections and search terms to use for finding more items.
-
California Trail Photos
See what the pioneers saw on the California Trail.
-
The Overland Trail Looking Back
Information about the mountain men, Native Americans, and others who had to do with the Overland Trail. The colored words link to more information about that topic.
-
The Pioneer Story: The Mormon Pioneer Trail
This site is about the journey of the Mormon pioneers. Click on "Start the Trail from the Beginning" to begin. Read the diary entries from some pioneers.
-
Coming Through: Missourians Explore Trails West
This 11-minute video from the Finding Missouri: Our History and Heritage series is about pioneers who traveled through Arrow Rock, Mo., on their way West. Requires RealPlayer.
-
eThemes Resource: Westward Expansion: Oregon Trail
These sites include information about the Oregon Trail during the Westward Expansion. Timelines, maps, and photographs are included from that time period.
-
eThemes Resource: Oregon Trail: Covered Wagons
These sites explain the different types of covered wagons that were used by pioneers to traverse the Oregon Trail in the late 19th century. Topics include the materials, dimensions, usage, manufacturers, cost, and durability of this primitive mode of transportation.
-
eThemes Resource: Westward Expansion: Hardships
This eThemes Resource is about the various hardships the pioneers faced as they traveled to the West. Includes weather information, accidents, and diseases. Read personal narratives and stories.
Education Standards
- AR
- AL
- MO
- NV
