97 The Oregon Trail

The United States was settled by people moving west. The eastern part of the country was crowded. They wanted land. They wanted to own it. They wanted to farm it. They wanted to be pioneers.

The Oregon Trail was a trail that led far into the West. It began at Independence, Missouri. It ended in Oregon. The distance was about 2,000 miles. It was called the Oregon Trail. The trail climbed and crossed the Rocky Mountains. It was the longest continual trail. The first fur traders went west. Then others followed.

Most people traveled the trail by covered wagon. Inside the wagon were all their possessions. Women and children. Finally, oxen and a pair of iron pots. Usually oxen pulled the wagon. People brought seeds to be planted. To plow in fresh Oregon soil. Often oxen died. Then people had to pull the wagons themselves. Other oxen were bought if they could be found. The trail was rough. Sometimes it was bright green as it passed over the prairies. Sometimes it was dark in the mountains.

Along the way were special forts. People could pick up some supplies at the forts and repair broken items. Food, water, and wood were usually hard to get.

Between 1845 and 1865, about 200,000 people used the Oregon Trail to go west.

美國是由向西遷徙的人們開拓的。國家的東部已經擁擠不堪。他們想要土地，想擁有土地，想耕種土地。他們想成為拓荒者。

奧勒岡小徑是一條通往西部的道路。它始於密蘇里州的獨立城，終點在奧勒岡，全長約2000英里。它被稱為奧勒岡小徑。這條路穿越並翻越落基山脈，是最長的連續小徑。最初是皮毛商人向西而去，後來其他人也跟隨。

大多數人乘坐篷車沿著這條路旅行。車內裝滿了他們的全部財物，還有婦女和孩子，最後還有牛和一對鐵鍋。通常由牛來拉車。人們帶著種子，準備在奧勒岡的新土壤中耕種。牛經常會死去，然後人們不得不自己拉車。如果能找到其他牛，就會買來替換。這條路很崎嶇，有時穿過草原時一片翠綠，有時在山中則一片昏暗。

沿途有一些特殊的堡壘。人們可以在堡壘補給一些物資並修理損壞的物品。食物、水和木材通常很難獲得。

在1845年至1865年間，大約有20萬人使用奧勒岡小徑向西遷徙。