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All
About the Oregon Trail
This site offers comprehensive information about the history of the
Oregon Trail. Students will particularly enjoy the tales in the Fantastic
Facts section, including the case of the confused mapmaker and
the cow that started a war. The online Teacher's Guide provides
a variety of resources, such as background information, lesson
plans, vocabulary, and test questions.
Donner
Party Online
Learn about
the tragic events surrounding the ill-fated Donner Party using this
Web-based lesson developed by Education First, Pacific Bell
Knowledge Network. Students assume the roles of historian,
cartographer, diarist, correspondent, jester, provisioner, or
scientist and complete a series of activities using a series of
hyperlinked sites. A HyperStudio template for publishing student
projects complements the lesson and can be downloaded from the site.
Food
on the Oregon Trail
In this
article Jacqueline Williams explains the background and history
behind why specific items were chosen. You will read that
flour, saleratus, sugar, and bacon were common staples purchased
prior to the trip and at trading posts along the way. There is also
a bibliography of references for further reading
Heritage
Gateway
This site
features historical diaries, excerpts from published books,
articles, commentaries, maps, recipes from the trail, and multimedia
that reflect the life and times of early pioneers. Listen to the
melodies of songs that the people sang around campfires. Build a
handcart, and read trail stories written by children.
In
Search of the Oregon Trail
In Search of
the Oregon Trail examines the myth and exposes the truth behind
America's journey west. An extensive online teacher's guide includes
a timeline, classroom activities, printable map, curriculum
standards, and resources.
Kids
Info - Pioneers
Although this
site is a little hard to navigate, it has links to absolutely
everything you could ever want to know about the expansion of the
United States, the westward movement, and the pioneers.
Oregon
Trail
List of links
with historical sites, timelines, maps, information about cooking
meat, wagon trains, illnesses, myths about pioneers, trivia, and so
much more.
Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center
The Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center brings history alive through reenactments,
videos, and print material. Historical information about the role of
black pioneers in the settlement of Oregon is very informative.
Included are a timeline of events, political reactions, exclusion
laws, and biographies. Another
outstanding feature of this Web site is the series of articles
written by Jim Thompson about the massive migration of settlers.
Samples include "Outfitting for the Trail," "Life on
the Trail," and "Hardships on the Oregon Trail." Here
you'll find as well a diagram of a loaded wagon from the 1843-1860
era, the primary mode of transportation, often filled with over a
ton of supplies, furniture, and other possessions. A complete
diagram of a loaded wagon is provided along with a list of supplies
and their cost.
Pioneers
This ThinkQuest Junior entry presents a personal picture of the
western movement, from life in the camps to life on the trail.
Topics include first aid, food, fires, wagon trains, toys, and much
more. The Literature link provides literary resources about
the time, including a student-written and student-illustrated
retelling of Rebecca of Blossom Prairie, -- an account of
pioneer life by Maurine Walpole Liles.
The
Overland Trail
The Overland
Trail was the route established in 1862. It avoided the Indian
uprisings that were occurring on the Oregon Trail farther north.
This also became the main road for the Overland Stage Company. Brief
descriptions of stations, stops, and landmarks are presented along
with a host of links to pioneer stories, maps, and other relevant
material.
The
Prairie Traveler
as the definitive guide for travel on the overland
trails. He describes the advantages and disadvantages of the
different routes to California and Oregon and gives practical advice
on everything from daily itineraries to the treatment of rattlesnake
bites experienced on the westward trails in the Prairie Traveler.
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