Chapter 16.4 and 5 From Sea to Shining Sea As America continued to grow in population – Americans...
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Transcript of Chapter 16.4 and 5 From Sea to Shining Sea As America continued to grow in population – Americans...
Chapter 16.4 and 5From Sea to Shining Sea
• As America continued to grow in population– Americans continued to
travel to new areas in North America.
– With new areas being founded, new Americans are born.
The Fur Traders• When Americans went
Northwest, they found 2 things:– Cold and wet weather– Animals that had adapted to
their environment• Beavers• Buffalo• Deer
• Each animal had thicker “furs” than the same animal in other parts of the USA
• What does this mean???– More fur = more $$$
The Mountain Men Move In…
• Mountain men – American pioneers who
moved to upper NW in search of fur. • Moved specifically to
Oregon Territory
– John Jacob Astor• Started largest fur
company called American Fur Company.
How did Mountain Men live?• Live in the wilderness
– Hunt animal and kill it
• Live with Indian tribes– Get help in hunting animals
• Mountain men get the fur• Indians get the meat
• Trade with fur companies at yearly meetings– Called rendezvous
Oregon Fever• From 1810 to 1840
– Population in Oregon Territory grew quickly
– People flocked her for a chance of a new life
– Traveled along what became known as the Oregon Trail• 2,000 miles across the
Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains
Travel on the Oregon Trail
• Very hard!– Took about 6 months
to get out to Oregon!
– Went out in large wagon trains• Groups of families in
wagons
• About 1 in 4 travelers died on way to Oregon
– So why try to get to Oregon??
Oregon
Oregon
Oregon
Oregon
Other travelers take a different route
• Some travelers came off the Oregon Trail to follow a Southern Route– Called the California Trail
• Why?– Shorter!
• Problem:– You have to cross a
mountain range called the Sierra Nevada
– Goal:» Make it across before
the 1st snowfall!
The Donner Party• Spring 1846
– Left Oregon Trail to cross the Sierra Nevada Mts.
– Problem: • They get lost!
• Fall 1846– Starts snowing in August
• Try to build housing to make it through the winter!
• Problem:– There’s not enough food…
February 1847
• A rescue party finds what is left of the Donner Party – Started with 87
• Now there is only 45 alive
• Weird fact:– There were only 8
graves….
– What happened to the rest of the bodies?
Others who did make it to California
• John Sutter– Swiss immigrant who
traveled across America to California
– 1839• Built a colony called
Sutter’s Fort
• Today = Sacramento, CA
George Caitlin and
Alfred Jacob Miller
• Moved to California to draw and paint “the American West”
– Remember: – Pictures are only for
rich people
– This is the only way to know what it looked like.
What did they paint? Buffalo…and lots of it!
Review Questions• What are Mountain Men?
• Who was John Jacob Astor?
• What was the Oregon Trail?
• Who were the Donner Party?