By the mid-19th century, the United States had expanded considerably and had incorporated new territory to the immediate west of the former British colonies and also territory along the western coast of North America. Those adventurous enough to travel to that western coast stood to make a good living for themselves, either in farming the free land that was being offered in the Oregon territory, or by mining for gold once it was discovered in California in 1848.
Getting to that western coast was difficult however. There were very few settlements of any kind between Missouri and Oregon, so settlers had to cross over 2,000 miles of empty land by wagon to get to Oregon or California. Some took ships from ports on the east cost all the way around the tip of South America and then to a port on the west coast. That was an expensive journey, however, that many could not afford. That left the wagon the only viable option that many had if they wanted to make a better life for themselves along the west coast.
Between 1841 and 1869, thousands of settlers crossed the Great Plains in wagons along the "Oregon Trail." Usually beginning in Independence, Missouri, the route crossed through the contemporary states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. There were a number of supposed shortcuts or alternative routes, the most famous being the "California Trail" which is how settlers got to California. It followed the Oregon Trail until Fort Hall, Idaho where it diverted south towards California. Unless one planned to settle in the Mormon community at Salt Lake City, the journey usually took about five to six months.
Needless to say, the journey was extremely dangerous. Indians were a continual threat as was being stranded without supplies if the cattle pulling the wagons died. If the journey took longer than expected for any reason, settlers had to worry about bad weather and running short on supplies. River crossing were also a potential hazard. In all, about 10% of those who left from Independence, never reached the Oregon or California territories alive.
The trail became obsolete when the transcontinental railroad connected the East and West portions of the country. Although some continued to travel by wagon for a few more years, the railroad quickly replaced the wagon as the preferred method of crossing the vast distance that separated the two coasts of the United States. As the railroad made the journey easier, thousand upon thousand migrated from their homes in the East to make a new life for themselves in the West. Once crossing the continent was no longer a matter of life or death, many more people were willing to "go West."
