[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about traveling along the Oregon Trail during the Westward Expansion. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

Take a virtual tour of the historic Oregon Trail and see photos of the landmarks along the way. Compare the map of 1843 with a modern map of today.

This site from PBS provides a map of the Oregon Trail, from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley.

Interactive map highlights the emigrations of men and women over the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails in the 1840s and 50s. Also features a timeline of migration, diary entries from individual migrants, and a flow map showing how...

This site written by teachers provides instructional activity ideas and links to a number of topics related to the Oregon Trail.

Find a map of the Oregon Trail and California Trail and click Historical Trails tab to discover the hardships and daily grind of traveling on the Oregon Trail.

A map of the Oregon Trail and some of its branches.

A fascinating lesson plan depicting life in the mid 1800's and comparing it to modern day life.

This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....

This CalGoldRush.com site discusses where people came from and the many routes that were taken to get to California. Many traveled the Mormon and Oregon Trails.

Read about the settling of Oregon country and how westward expansion prompted Congress to make it a territory.

This site provides facts on the state of Oregon. Did you know there used to be a volcano in Oregon?

This site has a comprehensive list of well known Oregon pioneers. Click on a name to read the story of their early settlement and the experiences this held for them.

See how James Polk's plan to claim the Oregon Territory, which had been shared with Great Britain since 1818, led him to victory with the slogan, Fifty-four forty or fight. Read about the settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail and why...

A map of western North America between the opening of the Oregon Trail in 1832 to 1842, prior to the establishment of the Provisional Government of Oregon by American settlers in 1843. The map shows the boundary of the Oregon Country,...

A biographic view of the life of Marie Dorion. As a young Native American woman, she led white men to the Oregon Territory. She was only 24 years old and was pregnant at the time. Her actions made her a symbol of bravery and endurance!

A map of the Oregon Territory between the time of exploration by George Vancouver (1792) and the Oregon Treaty of 1846. The map is color-coded to show the disputed claims of the British and United States, the Russian American line of...

A map of the western United States in 1840-1850 showing the Oregon Trail and Santa Fe, the two principal overland routes from Independence, Missouri, to the western territories and the Pacific. The map shows the territory boundaries,...

This resource is an excerpt from the memoirs of David Arthur of his traveling to Oregon by wagon train with his parents. It was originally published in an Oregon newspaper in 1889.

After a brief discussion of Manifest Destiny in other parts of country, read about the Texas rebellion against Mexico, the battles against Santa Anna, and the treaties that made Texas an independent country. [pdf]

Read first-hand accounts to learn about the children who made the journey west to California, Utah, Oregon and other destinations in the mid-1800s.

Written in 1859, this handbook provided pioneers with valuable guidance on everything from choosing which route to gake to the west, to what kinds of tents to use, to how to deal with Indians. It was an invaluable source for those making...

A map of the Oregon Territory between the time of exploration by George Vancouver (1792) and the Oregon Treaty of 1846. The map is color-coded to show the disputed claims of the British and United States, the Russian American line of...

A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"