Westward Expansion WebQuest

If you do not have a copy of the Westward Expansion WebQuest worksheet click here to print one before you begin.

1.  Why did people move west? List at least three (3) reasons.

• The American Experience-The Donner Party-Call of the West

• Which Way to Go?

• Northwest of the West the Frontier Experience on the Northwest Coast - Case 1

• Manifest Destiny An Introduction

• The Pioneers

2.  What kinds of people chose to move westward? List and describe at least three types.

• Oregon-Trail Archive

• PBS - THE WEST - Marcus and Narcissa Whitman

• PBS - THE WEST - The Letters and Journals of Narcissa Whitman 1836-1847

• Whitman Massacre Trial Introduction

• The True Story of the Sagers

• PBS - THE WEST - Across the Plains in 1844 Catherine Sager Pringle Journal (1860)

• William Porter Diary

• Diary of William Ashley

• Coon Oregon Trail Diary

• Letters of Mollie Zemmer

• Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight (1853)

• The Whitman Mission

• PBS - THE WEST - Joseph Smith

• PBS - THE WEST - Brigham Young

• Pioneer Journals

• Crossing the Plains, 1865 First person account.

• Coon Oregon Trail Diary

• Diary of Patrick Breen - One of the Donner Party - Edited by Frederick J. Teggart

• Women on the Oregon Trail

• Women's Voices on the Oregon Trail

• Overland Trails Documents, 1843-1860 Links to first person accounts.

• Black Pioneers of Oregon

• American West - European Emigration

3.  How did they travel and live?  Describe vehicles, provisions, and daily life -- at least two facts about each.

• Vehicles

• Prairie Schooners

• The Wagon

• Overland Wagon

• Conestoga Wagon from Mennonite Historical Society

• The Concord Coach

• Riding The Overland Stage, 1861 Eyewitness account by Mark Twain.

• What to take?

• Capt. Randolph B. Marcy's The Prairie Traveler

• Provisions and Prices

• Daily Life on the Oregon Trail

• Jumping Off on the Oregon-Trail

• Power on the Oregon-Trail

• The Gold Rush Fun facts

• Life on the trail

• Problems on the Trail

• Children's Chores Along The Trail

• Pioneer General Reference

• OCTA -- Trail Graves

• Hardships on the Oregon-Trail

• Camping on the Oregon-Trail

• General Pioneer Life

• Living History Farms; Get Your Grip on History Click on activities from list halfway down page.

• Pioneer Life in Ohio Food & Medicines

4.  What routes did they take?

Map

Oregon Trail Map

Select a trail to research.  Write down the following information. plus at least 6 interesting facts about the trail and its history.

Location of beginning of trail
Location of end of trail
Locations on the trail

Who used this trail?
Dates the trail was used by pioneers.

 

OREGON TRAIL

• Historical Gazette

• Early Emigrants to Oregon

• Did the Oregon Trail Start Here

• Route West on the Oregon-Trail

• Historic Sites on the Oregon-Trail

• Jumping Off on the Oregon-Trail

• Power on the Oregon-Trail

• Hardships on the Oregon-Trail

• Pioneer Tidbits: Interesting Facts about Pioneer Life on the Trail

• Fish & Wildlife on the Oregon Trail: Then and Now

• Food on the Oregon Trail

• American West - The Oregon Trail

APPLEGATE TRAIL

• Applegate Trail the Southern Route of the Oregon Trail

OVERLAND TRAIL

• Looking at The Overland Trail--Last updated 02-07-01

• The Overland Trail Main Page--Last Updated 12-07-02

SANTA FE TRAIL

• GORP - National Historic Trails - Santa Fe National Historic Trail

• Santa Fe Trail History

MORMON PIONEERS

• Utah History To Go - Settlement and Exploration Why did the Mormons choose Utah?

• Handcart Pioneer Companies

• THE MORMON PIONEER TRAIL

• The Pioneer Story

• Gallery - Hastings Road - Roy Tea

KANSAS HISTORIC TRAILS & PIONEERS

• Kansas Historic Trails

CALIFORNIA TRAIL

• CALIFORNIA TRAIL

• The American Experience-The Donner Party

• Gold Rush -- OREGON TRAIL The Trail West

• California History Collection: First Person Narratives

• Trail Facts

• California National Historical Trail Wagon Train

• Emigrant Stories -- use pulldown menu

GOLD RUSH

• The Gold Rush: About the Gold Rush
• Land of Golden Dreams The Adventure Begins
• The Gold Rush Diary of George Bonniwell - April, 1850

IDAHO TRAIL

• Hudspeth Cutoff by Gar Elison 2

MISSOURI TRAIL

• St. Louis and the American West

5.  Locate writings of a person who traveled and/or settled in the west. Read about their experiences in their own words. Write a paragraph naming the person, telling where they were located, and sharing some of their experience.   Use any of the sites on this Webquest to answer this last question.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Western Expansion & Reform (1829-1859)
  Description of the period from America's Story by Library of Congress; includes related links at bottom of page.

• American West - Expansion 
  Includes maps of the Lewis & Clark Expedition 1804, the Santa Fe Trail 1821, the Oregon Trail 1835, the Mormon Pioneer Trail of 1846, the Pony Express Route 1860, the Overland Trail 1862 and Key Dates of Expansion. Also, several other trails are described and a story on frontier transportation explain the important role of the transcontinental railroad and the railroad companies. 

• THE WEST - People Index
• THE WEST - Places Index
• THE WEST - Events from 1840 to 1850
• THE WEST - Events from 1850 to 1860
• The Oregon-Trail
• Triumph & Tragedy on OPB: Women's Voices from the Oregon Trail
• Prairie Schooners
  Frontier transportation on Oregon Trail.
• The Donner Party: Route to Hell
  Nightmare pioneer expedition. .
• EyeWitness To The Old West
  Variety of eyewitness accounts of life includes a 1846 buffalo hunt.
• MOUNTAIN MEN AND THE FUR TRADE
  Information on the history, traditions, tools, and mode of living, of the trappers, explorers, and traders known as the Mountain Men. 
• The Overland Trail Main Page
  Links to many pages about Westward trails.
• Heritage Gateways: Pioneers and Frontier
  Covers frontier trails and pioneers from 1848 - 1868.
• Adventures of Wells Fargo

Originally From http://mccants.anderson5.net/library/westward.htm 1/20/05