Illustration of the pioneers traveling with their wagons, oxens, and horses

Illustration by Allan Davey; Dave Neligh for Colorado Country Life magazine (wagons); Art Phaneuf/Alamy Stock Photo (oxen); Carol Barrington/Alamy Stock Photo (Chimney Rock)

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Blazing a Trail

Students in Nebraska find out what life was like for settlers along the Oregon Trail.

February 17, 2025
By the Editors of Scholastic News

As You Read: What were some challenges people faced on the Oregon Trail?

Imagine packing everything you own into a wagon. Then you will walk nearly 2,000 miles to find a new home. Starting in 1843, tens of thousands of Americans did just that. They migrated west. The pathway they took became known as the Oregon Trail. 

Last spring, students in Kearney, Nebraska, got a hint of what life was like for those pioneers. Fourth-graders at Central Elementary School decorated shopping carts to look like covered wagons. Then they spent a day working in groups to push their “wagons.” They walked nearly 3 miles along their own version of the trail.  

“The Oregon Trail is a big part of our state history,” says teacher Troy Saulsbury. He’s been leading the project every year for about 15 years. 

Imagine packing everything you own into a wagon. Then you will walk nearly 2,000 miles. The reason? To find a new home. Starting in 1843, thousands of Americans did just that. They migrated west. The path they took became known as the Oregon Trail. 

Last spring, students in Kearney, Nebraska, learned about what life was like for those pioneers. Fourth-graders at Central Elementary School decorated shopping carts to look like covered wagons. Then they pushed their “wagons” in groups. They walked nearly 3 miles. They did this along their own version of the trail.  

“The Oregon Trail is a big part of our state history,” says teacher Troy Saulsbury. He’s led the project every year for about 15 years.  

Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo (pioneers); Shutterstock.com (background)

A family on the Oregon Trail in about 1850

Going West 

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

In the early 1840s, present-day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho weren’t yet part of the United States. The area was called Oregon Country. The U.S. government urged settlers to head west. The goal was to make the country bigger.

The pioneers had heard stories about Oregon Country. It was known for its rich soil and nice weather. To many, it seemed like a good place to build a new life. 

Many pioneers set off from the Oregon Trail’s starting point in Missouri (see map). The journey west could take up to five months. The pioneers needed to take enough food, tools, and other items to last that long. The supplies were packed in the wagons. That meant there was usually little room left for people. Oxen and mules pulled the wagons. Families walked next to their wagons. Some traveled up to 15 miles in a day. 

In the early 1840s, the United States didn’t include present-day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. The area was called Oregon Country. The U.S. government wanted settlers to head west. The goal was to make the country bigger.

The pioneers had heard stories about Oregon Country. It was known for its rich soil and nice weather. To many, it seemed like a good place to build a new life. 

The Oregon Trail’s starting point was in Missouri (see map). Many pioneers began there. The journey west could take up to five months. The pioneers needed to take enough food, tools, and other items to last that long. The supplies were packed in the wagons. So there was usually little room left for people. Oxen and mules pulled the wagons. Families walked next to their wagons. Some traveled up to 15 miles in a day. 

Pause and Think

How do you think kids who walked the Oregon Trail felt?

How do you think kids who walked the Oregon Trail felt?

A Dangerous Trip 

The Oregon Trail wasn’t one long road. It was a series of trails. They were made by the fur traders and the Native peoples who lived there (see “Another View of the Trail”). Some areas were treacherous.

Parts of the journey involved crossing raging rivers. Few of the pioneers could swim. Many of them drowned. Another threat was a deadly disease called cholera (KAH-luh-ruh). People often got it from drinking dirty water.

The travelers also faced other challenges. Lack of food was one. Stormy weather was another. In all, about 1 in 10 pioneers on the trail died.

Many of the pioneers who did complete the trip settled in Oregon Country. Others settled in other places in the West. By 1869, as many as 400,000 people had traveled on the Oregon Trail.

The Oregon Trail wasn’t one long road. It was a series of trails. They were made by the fur traders and the Native peoples who lived there (see “Another View of the Trail”). Some areas were treacherous.

The journey involved crossing rivers. Few of the pioneers could swim. Many of them drowned. Another threat was a deadly disease called cholera (KAH-luh-ruh). People often got it from drinking dirty water.

The travelers also faced other challenges. Lack of food was one. Stormy weather was another. In all, about 1 in 10 pioneers on the trail died.

Many pioneers who completed the trip settled in Oregon Country. Some settled in other places out West. By 1869, up to 400,000 people had traveled on the Oregon Trail.

Courtesy of Troy Saulsbury

Sophia Jimenez and Matthew Lemus-Lopez stand near their “wagons.” 

Pioneer Life 

The Kearney students followed a path that was modeled after the Oregon Trail. For example, a rock garden in a local park was their version of the Rocky Mountains. Ten-year-old Matthew Lemus-Lopez says getting over the rocks required teamwork.

“The first group to go over would help the next wagon,” he says. “Then it would just be like a chain.”

Sophia Jimenez is one of Matthew’s classmates. She says the trip helped them realize how tough life was for the pioneers. 

“I was very tired after walking the little bit that we walked!” Sophia says.

The Kearney students followed a path. Their path was modeled after the Oregon Trail. For example, a rock garden in a local park was their version of the Rocky Mountains. Ten-year-old Matthew Lemus-Lopez participated. He says getting over the rocks took teamwork.

“The first group to go over would help the next wagon,” he says. “Then it would just be like a chain.”

Sophia Jimenez is one of Matthew’s classmates. She says the trip showed her how tough life was for the pioneers. 

“I was very tired after walking the little bit that we walked!” Sophia says.

Another View of the Trail

The Oregon Trail passed through areas where Native peoples had lived for thousands of years. One of those groups was the Shoshone (shuh-SHOHN) Tribe. Chief Washakie led the tribe in the late 1800s. John Washakie is his great-grandson. He spoke to Scholastic News about how pioneers on the trail affected the Shoshone.

The Oregon Trail crossed right through Shoshone territory in southwestern Wyoming. You had all these people coming through—hundreds of thousands of travelers. Over time, there was no game for Shoshone to eat. Bison, antelope, and deer were gone from the area. The westward travelers had been hunting them.

The travelers brought diseases like smallpox and measles. They killed a lot of Shoshone people.

Ultimately, the Shoshone had to move to a new area to survive. We now live on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The Oregon Trail changed everything for us.

The Oregon Trail passed through areas where Native peoples had lived for thousands of years. One of those groups was the Shoshone (shuh-SHOHN) Tribe. Chief Washakie led the tribe in the late 1800s. John Washakie is his great-grandson. He spoke to Scholastic News about how pioneers on the trail affected the Shoshone.

The Oregon Trail crossed right through Shoshone territory in southwestern Wyoming. You had all these people coming through—hundreds of thousands of travelers. Over time, there was no game for Shoshone to eat. Bison, antelope, and deer were gone from the area. The westward travelers had been hunting them.

The travelers brought diseases like smallpox and measles. They killed a lot of Shoshone people.

Ultimately, the Shoshone had to move to a new area to survive. We now live on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The Oregon Trail changed everything for us.

The Granger Collection

A group of Shoshone in about 1870

  1. What is the meaning of the word migrated as it is used in the article? Where were Americans migrating to when they traveled the Oregon Trail?
  2. Why did the U.S. government encourage people to go west in the 1840s?
  3. Based on the article, describe three dangers that pioneers faced as they traveled on the Oregon Trail. 
  1. What is the meaning of the word migrated as it is used in the article? Where were Americans migrating to when they traveled the Oregon Trail?
  2. Why did the U.S. government encourage people to go west in the 1840s?
  3. Based on the article, describe three dangers that pioneers faced as they traveled on the Oregon Trail. 
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