With numbers swelled by Oregon-bound settlers as well as hordes of gold-seekers destined for California, the 1852 overland migration was the largest on record in a year taking a terrible toll in lives mainly due to deadly cholera. Included here are firsthand accounts of this fateful year, including the words and thoughts of a young married couple, Mary Ann and Willis Boatman, released for the first time in book-length form. In its immediacy, Surviving the Oregon Trail, 1852 opens a window to the travails of the overland journeyers--their stark camps, treacherous river fordings, and dishonest countrymen; the shimmering plains and mountain vastnesses; trepidation at crossing ancient Indian lands; and the dark angel of death hovering over the wagon columns. But also found here are acts of valor, compassion, and kindness, and the hope for a new life in a new land at the end of the trail.

In the nineteenth century, over half a million men, women and children traveled west on the Oregon Trail. Stretching two thousand miles from Independence Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Trail was the longest overland route used in the westward expansion. Crossing mountains and deserts, fighting disease, short of both food and water, pioneers endured many hardships to follow the trail west with their hopes and dreams of seeking fortunes in the unsettled west. Author Rebecca Stefoff traces the roots of the Oregon and California Trails back to the seventeenth century, telling the stories of those who left the security and comfort of their homes, to endure months of hard travel in the hope of a new life.

The Oregon Trail was an important part of American history. It helped bring new people to the western United States. Explore what life was like for pioneers on the Oregon Trail, what difficulties they faced along the way, and what it was like to live in Oregon once they arrived. Complete with vivid photographs, a glossary, and colorful designs, this is an excellent way to introduce readers to America’s early westward expansion.

The 1852 overland migration was the largest on record, with numbers swelled by Oregon-bound settlers as well as hordes of gold-seekers destined for California. It also was a year in which cholera took a terrible toll in lives. Included here are firsthand accounts of this fateful year, including the words and thoughts of a young married couple, Mary Ann and Willis Boatman.

In the nineteenth century, over half a million men, women and children traveled west on the Oregon Trail. Stretching two thousand miles from Independence Missouri, to the Pacific Northwest, the Oregon Trail was the longest overland route used in the westward expansion. Crossing mountains and deserts, fighting disease, short of both food and water, pioneers endured many hardships to follow the trail west with their hopes and dreams of seeking fortunes in the unsettled west. Author Rebecca Stefoff traces the roots of the Oregon and California Trails back to the seventeenth century, telling the stories of those who left the security and comfort of their homes, to endure months of hard travel in the hope of a new life.

This book relays the factual details of the Oregon Trail and the United States' westward expansion in the 1800s. The narrative provides multiple accounts of the event, and readers learn details through the point of view of a pioneer, a Native American in a territory crossed by the trail, and a U.S. soldier at a government outpost. The text offers opportunities to compare and contrast various perspectives in the text while gathering and analyzing information about an historical event.

The events surrounding westward expansion did not look the same to everyone involved--understanding depends on perspective. In the Viewpoints and Perspectives series, more advanced readers will come to understand different viewpoints by learning the context, significance, and details of the historic push west through the eyes of three different people, while engaging with text through questions sparking critical thinking. Books include timeline, glossary, and index.