Quest to the West Quiz

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Life in the West

Title: Life in the Sowest
Concept/Topic: Lewis and Clar, Sacagawea, Oregon Trail
Essential Questions:
What was the Oregon Trail?
Who was Lewis and Clark and what were some significant things they did?
Connection:
What do you know about Sacagawea? Lewis and CLark? The oregon Trail? (5 minutes)
Direct Teaching:
Lewis and Clark were sent to explore the South West. Publicly, the purpose of the expedition was to make friends with the indians so they could trade. However, secretly, Lewis and Clark went to find the northwest passage. On their journey, they met a shoshone indian girl named sacagawea. They took her with them hoping that she would be their translator.
In 1769, a Spanish missionary named Junipero Serra led many preists and soldiers north from mexico to california. His intention was to convert the american indians to christianity.
The Lewis and Clark expedition found beaver in the rockies and this brought many people there to hunt for fur. Trappers were also called Mountain Men. During Spring and fall, trappers put traps in icy streams. In July, they went to trade these furs for supplies. Trapping continued for the next 30 years.
Step-by-Step Explanation: Each group will create a drawing of what they think the oregon trail looks like.
Student Centered Activity: Draw! The person with the best drawing wins a prize!
Assesment: While students are drawing, we will go around and answer any questions.
Closure: Ask everybody some questions:
Who were lewis and clark?
what did they do?
what were the trappers also called?
what was the oregon trail?
why were trappers interested in the rockies?

Quest to the West

The Oregon Trail was perhaps one of Americas most well known trails. Responsible for many deaths, but also famous for many discoveries. What many people don't know is how it began to be popular. Lewis and Clark were the first European-Americans to venture west. They were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to find the short cut to China that Columbus was originally looking for. During 1804 the journey began and about a couple dozen men made there way to the west. Jefferson was hoping that there was a water root to the west. It turned out that the water root to the west was dangerous so they made most of the journey by foot. On the way they met Sacagawea who helped them make their was across the west. The whole journey took so long that many thought that the journey failed and all the men perished along the way. This discouraged many to go west. But then Lewis and Clark came back and told the rest of their community that the way west was far too dangerous. This was not entirely true, Lewis and Clark strangely enough went through the most dangerous passage through the Rockies. There was still good information that came out of the journey. They learned that the journey to China would be another 200 miles through the ocean. How they learned this was as they made there way, and for the first time seeing open water on December 1805, a tribe was passing by on a boat and signaled, 200 miles to China. So they headed back with there new story.

The next big journey to the West was sent by John Jacob Astor, the richest man in the world. He had heard about Lewis and Clarks journey and decided to make his own quest to the west. He pulled together his own men and supplies and they were gone (not including Astor) by 1810. The journey was a disaster many of the men ended up dieing, only a hand full mad it back lead by Robert Stuart. Along the way He also was greatly successful. In between the Rockies there was about a 20 mile wide valley all the way to the end, but what he did know was this wide path would become the OREGON TRAIL.

But unfortunately the west still suffered criticism by many including Lt. Zebulon Pike who described it as one giant waste land, Which of course in untrue. So many came to the same conclusion that the west was just entirely uninhabitable.

About a decade later a new trend started of beaver pelts and bear furs. This new trend was followed by the beginning of trappers or mountain men. Many men became mountain men because they seek ed adventure or excitement in life. People who were mountain men generally were poor or had no families. As glamorous as it may sound to be traveling around watching nature it did have a huge toll. It was said that out of every 116 men only 16 would survive. Most were killed by fur thieves, disease or even a misplaced step on a cliff. One of the most famous was Joe Walker who was one day traveling westwards in the Rockies in search of an animal when he discovered the same valley that was 20 miles wide. Robert Stuart and his fellow travels meant to keep the passage a secret, but Walker ran back to the east and told every one about the comfortable trail that even wagons could travel.

Explorer John Fremont was asked to write about the west to make it seem more desirable so people would come. He made the journey and came back but he gave up and his wife Jesse Benton Fremont wrote it, even thought it had his name.

After the report people began to stream in to the west to have more land or have more peace. The Oregon trail soon became crowded and even dangerous. There were wagon thieves and angry Natives which lurked around. This forced the pioneers to travel in wagon trains. This meant that a handful of wagons traveled together forming leaders an ideas. The members inn the trains were obliged to get along so they could stay safe. About 1 in every 10 people would die along the way because of sickness an thirst.

Women during the time also had a story to tell because they them selves had lived through storms and wild animals. Even with this new pride of adventure Women were still expected to do the house chores and take care of the children after traveling 15-20 mile a day.

Over all the Oregon trail rush began 1836 and ended 1843 because of the railroads now in serves. But still to this day is known as one of the most well known trails.

Timeline

Summary

Back in the good old days, when America was taking its first steps to being united as one. Lewis and Clark set out on a journey to find the northwest path to the pacific. On the way they made many friends with the natives, and others. Including a sixteen year old girl. Her name was Sacagawea. Surprisingly she was married and had a child; she became Lewis and Clark's translator and guide.

On their journey they also made a discovery that they didn't intend on finding. Many wild creatures like beavers and bears roamed the trails. During the time the fur trade was popular, so this sparked men to hunt them; these men are known as Mountain Men. Mountain men would trap animals for their fur in the fall and sell in the spring. They lived hard lives and usually died young. They choose to live this life for the adventure. After living these lives they would normally become traders, trading goods like furs and meat or guides.

Missionaries like Marcus and Narcissa Whitman came to California to convert the natives to Christianity. After a disease struck the Whitman's were accused of murder, by the natives. The natives had accused them of murder because mostly whites survived. Although the Whitman's treated everyone with the medicine.

Also coming out west were the Mormons. They were normally rejected by their neighbors because of their practices. So they found a place where they could settle and that was Utah. If they could not afford oxen or wagons they would buy hand carts to take.

Women coming out west, after traveling up to twenty miles a day...... Were still expected to cook, clean, wash clothes, and take care of the children.

In 1849 people started to rush to California for the gold, this became known as the gold rush. Before the gold rush started, in 1848 a carpenter named James Marshall, was building a sawmill. He discovered the first of the gold. When word got out thousands of gold miners or forty-niners came to California. During the rush many Chinese immigrants came to get rich. At first they were welcomed but as the gold became scares. They faced prejudice, beatings, whippings, and even the burning of their homes. Through all that most stayed and ended up opening restaurants, laundries, and many other successful stores. Barely any women came during the rush, one woman that did though is, Luzena Wilson. One man even offered her five dollars just for bread made by women. She stayed in Sacramento, and during her stay there she only saw two other women, she was there for six months. By 1852 the gold rush had ended. 250,000 people had come to California seeking gold, only few had gotten rich and now the natives were unhappy. The natives even thought that the east must be pretty empty because so many people had come.

Also Mexicans had come for the gold rush. Americans actually didn’t know much about mining it was Mexicans that showed them the gold pan or “Batea” and the rifle box. In 1859 Henry Comstock looking in his gold pan and saw blue specs then a Mexican looked in and started yelling “mucha plata!” which means “Much silver,” within twenty years Comstock made $300 million in silver and gold. In the 1800’s Americans started to look around for copper, in Arizona; with of course Mexicans to help, In the 1940s the produced $3 billion worth of copper. Without copper today we would not be able to carry electricity which means no electronics! Oh NO!

Other things that Americans adopted from Mexicans were cattle ranching, cowboys (and girls), their language, homes, sheep raising, and fruit.

Cattle raising was a tradition brought from Mexico. The animals adapted very well to the dry climate. Soon millions of cattle roamed the lands of Texas and California. Cattle were and are very dangerous and aggressive; people often dove behind trees or into ditches to escape. Although cattle raising was a good business, Americans learned from Mexican ranchers or rancheros. People would usually ranch for meat, hides, and tallow. Cowboys were usually hired to work (Take care)

the cattle. They were also in charge of branding the cattle, putting a specific mark on them to tell which ranch they belong to.

Americans also adapted a lot of Spanish words, like rancheros….. And many other words. Americans also adopted the adobe homes, because they were perfect for the climate and weather.

Americans seem like they like to take stuff because we also adopted sheep raising. Raising sheep was very important; it clothed, fed, and supported Mexican settlers. There were two types of sheep, pretty merinos they had fine wool, then there was ugly churros they had coarse wool. Mexicans introduced sheep to Americans, well raising them at least; people would have thousands of sheep. They would hire many workers to care for them too. Eventually they cross bred the merino and the churro breeds for better wool.

Finally the Americans adopted the fruits that Mexican immigrants brought. These fruits included grapes, dates, olives, apples, walnuts, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, quinces, and citrus.

In 1521 the Spanish came to Mexico in search of gold but discovered new types of food like corn, tomatoes, and chocolate! Yummy….. And many more yummy foods.

Oh wait I forgot something, once again Americans adapted Spanish ways, the Music! Their music influenced country western music. Americans liked the spirit of Spanish music. Throught out the years much of our cultures combine to where we are today. Who knows where our heritages and culture will end up?