The document discusses the difficulties faced by travelers on three historic trails to the American West: the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail. Key hardships included disease outbreaks like cholera and typhoid fever, dangerous natural obstacles such as rivers and mountains, and hostile encounters with Native Americans. Travelers on all three trails also struggled with accidents, lack of supplies, harsh weather, and exhaustion from the very long distances covered. The Mormon pioneers faced additional difficulties like early raids that forced them to leave supplies behind and disorganized leadership on their trail.

1. Exit Project:
The Many Difficulties of the Travelers on the:
Oregon Trail

2. Essential Question
 My essential question is:
What were the difficulties the travelers faced on the trails?

3. The Oregon Trail
 The Oregon Trail is approximately 2170 miles long.
 The trail was used by people who wanted to travel from Missouri to
Oregon.

4. The California Trail
 The California Trail is approximately 2000 miles long.
 This trail was used by people seeking prosperity in California.

5. The Mormon Trail
 The Mormon Trail is approximately 1300 miles long.
 The trail was used by the Mormons that was escaping religious persecution.

6. Guided Questions
1st Guided Question
 What difficulties did the travelers
on the Oregon Trail face?
2nd Guided Question
 What difficulties did the
travelers face on the California
Trail face?
 What difficulties did the Mormons face
while on the Mormon Trail?
3rd Guided Question

7. 1st Guided Question：
What difficulties did the travelers on the
Oregon Trail face?

8. Difficulties: Diseases
 One of the diseases on the Oregon Trail was cholera.
 Many of the cholera symptoms stopped the travelers from going onward.
 Another one of the diseases was smallpox.
 Smallpox was deadly and people on the trail couldn’t treat it fast enough.

9. Difficulties: Nature
 Rivers often swept away precious cargo, livestock, and people.
 Mountains often provided a huge barrier on the trail, which wasn’t a good thing.
 Thunderstorms often scared away oxen, tipping over wagons and running away.
 Grassfires were another thing that the travelers had to watch out for.

10. Difficulties: Miscellaneous
 There are always other dangers on the trail. Some of them include:
 Being ran over by a wagon. People would accidentally fall under a wagon and get crushed.
 Another one would be accidental shootings. Firearms would discharge and shoot someone in their
vitals.
 Some of the Indians (or natives) would be hostile and attack the camp.
 Snakebites would also occur.

11. 2nd Guided Question：
What difficulties did the travelers on the
California Trail face?

12. Difficulties: Diseases
 One disease is scurvy. It is caused when there is lack of vitamin C in the
body.
 Another disease on the California Trail was typhoid fever.

13. Difficulties: …
 Since the California trail is basically an extension of the Oregon trail, all of
the difficulties were the same. The Rocky Mountains still block the way to
California and travelers can still fall under wagons and get crushed.

14. 3rd Guided Question：
What difficulties did the Mormons face
while on the Mormon Trail?

15. Difficulties: Diseases
 There are more new diseases on this trail. One such disease is tuberculosis.
 Another popular disease was malaria. (Not popular with the pioneers).
 One last disease was pneumonia. All of theses diseases each had a major
impact on the travelers.

16. Difficulties: Nature
 Nature played a great role in the Mormon’s trek to Salt Lake Valley.
Winter was harsh and a certain incident forced the Mormons to leave
early.
 Mud bogs slowed down the Mormons considerably.

17. Difficulties: Miscellaneous
 Before the Mormons left a raid happened and forced the Mormon to leave
early. This caused them to leave their precious supplies.
 Leadership was also disorganized and these factors left to difficulty on a
daily basis.

18. Fun Facts on the Trails 
 Many times, pioneers would have to pay 100 dollars for a glass of water when they were dying of
dehydration.
 Oxen eat almost anything. On occasion, spare clothes bounced out of a back of a covered wagon
and were quickly eaten by an ox pulling the following wagon.
 There was no firewood along the trail so “chips were used”. These were dried buffalo bung and it
burned pretty well and no odor was released in the process.
 People who got cholera or another fatal sickness during that time were sometimes cast away
along the side of the trail. Watchers would see if the person dies and some even dug the victims
grave for them!