During the 19th century, the United States experienced a lot of growth, both in population and in square mileage. With the acquiring of western lands from Mexico after the Mexican American War, more and more people became interested in the westward frontier. The South, hungry for more land to grow their plantations, were eager for expansion. Northerners were also excited to expand, though not for all the same reasons the South wanted to expand. The new land was the perfect opportunity for the United States to grow and thrive. People were more than eager to move out west, and mass migrations started during the 1840’s. However, the journey into the new territories would prove to be a unique experience for each person that made the trek. The
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This group was composed of immigrants from Europe, and were a variety of men and women, young and old. Unfortunately for these people, their journey would prove to be a lot more deadly. As poor immigrants, they did not have the resources that the first group had to make the expedition. Their travel, spanning from July 22nd, 1856, to November 9th, 1856, was met with a cruel winter that killed many of their travelers.
Those following the California Trail were going to the Pacific coast, moving to mining towns in hopes of finding gold. The California Trail starts in many different places for different groups. James Bennet, for example, left with a group from New Harmony, Indiana in April of 1850. Another westward settler, Thomas Turnbull, left from Chicago, Illinois. Even citizens from Ohio, like William H. Woodhams, were looking for new opportunities in California.
Each of these California Trail groups had their own issues, mainly being the lack of resources. Bennet recounts that it was “...utterly impossible to by feed of any kind for the cattle and they habe to subsist entirely on grass, which is very short,”. Turnbull and Woodhams recount how their animals would get sick because the land they were traveling across was potent with …show more content…
These explorations endured harsh snow, powerful winds, torrential storms, and much more. The harsh weather was the main cause of the deaths in the group that Willie was apart of during their journey to Salt Lake City. Another interesting thing to note is that many of these travelers had wary views of Indians. Egan’s band of travelers were on alert within the first few weeks of their travels about Indian violence, though later on they would be at peaceful and negotiable terms with some of the American Indian tribes. Woodhams even goes on to refer to them as “savages” who only want stuff from American citizens. This goes to show the tensions that were still heavily apparent between the United States and American Indian tribes. Despite the different ideas for moving out west that Woodhams and Egan have, they are both still influenced by the rhetoric of the
This group was composed of immigrants from Europe, and were a variety of men and women, young and old. Unfortunately for these people, their journey would prove to be a lot more deadly. As poor immigrants, they did not have the resources that the first group had to make the expedition. Their travel, spanning from July 22nd, 1856, to November 9th, 1856, was met with a cruel winter that killed many of their travelers.
Those following the California Trail were going to the Pacific coast, moving to mining towns in hopes of finding gold. The California Trail starts in many different places for different groups. James Bennet, for example, left with a group from New Harmony, Indiana in April of 1850. Another westward settler, Thomas Turnbull, left from Chicago, Illinois. Even citizens from Ohio, like William H. Woodhams, were looking for new opportunities in California.
Each of these California Trail groups had their own issues, mainly being the lack of resources. Bennet recounts that it was “...utterly impossible to by feed of any kind for the cattle and they habe to subsist entirely on grass, which is very short,”. Turnbull and Woodhams recount how their animals would get sick because the land they were traveling across was potent with …show more content…
These explorations endured harsh snow, powerful winds, torrential storms, and much more. The harsh weather was the main cause of the deaths in the group that Willie was apart of during their journey to Salt Lake City. Another interesting thing to note is that many of these travelers had wary views of Indians. Egan’s band of travelers were on alert within the first few weeks of their travels about Indian violence, though later on they would be at peaceful and negotiable terms with some of the American Indian tribes. Woodhams even goes on to refer to them as “savages” who only want stuff from American citizens. This goes to show the tensions that were still heavily apparent between the United States and American Indian tribes. Despite the different ideas for moving out west that Woodhams and Egan have, they are both still influenced by the rhetoric of the