Resources on Oregon Trail
All can be reserved online from home or school to be sent the hold shelf at the
Crook County Library by going to
www.crooklib.org
Crook County Library:
Voices from the Oregon Trail
by Kay Winters
Learn about the courageous Americans who journeyed on the Oregon Trail in
this picture book perfect for the Common Core
It’s 1848, and brave families band together in covered wagons to head west.
Each spread introduces a different speaker to tell his or her part of the story:
there’s Carl Hawks, son of the wagon train leader; Louisa Bailey, the newlywed;
Chankoowashtay, a Sioux brave; and more. Like its acclaimed predecessor
Colonial Voices, this book showcases a thrilling—and often dangerous—time in
our history. Richly detailed illustrations bring the story of the great Westward
Expansion to vivid life.
The Stout-hearted Seven : Orphaned on the Oregon Trail
By Neta Lohnes Frazier
Based on a true story originally written by one of the survivors, Neta Lohnes
Frazier’s account of seven children traveling westward still has the power to
astonish. In the 1840s, the Sager family set off on the Oregon Trail, a dangerous
and adventure-filled journey. Tragedy struck when both the mother and father
succumbed to fever, orphaning the youngsters—one just a newborn. The entire
wagon train adopted them, until they arrived at the Whitman Mission in Oregon.
There, the Sagers settled into an ordinary life…until the day of an Indian
massacre. The bravery of the Stouthearted Seven will amaze today’s young
readers.
The Tragic Tale of Narcissa Whitman and a Faithful History of the Oregon Trail
by Cheryl Harness.
When she was a young girl, Narcissa loved nothing better than to read heroic
tales about brave men and women risking their lives to bring Christian ideas to
"barbarians" in far-off places. In 1831, her dream of doing the same was about
to come true. That's when some Indians arrived in St. Louis, Missouri, looking for
the "White Man's Book of Heaven." Their quest was the answer to Narcissa's
prayers: She would bring salvation to "those wandering sons of our native forests.
Narcissa married Marcus Whitman, another missionary want-to-be, and they
headed West. She spent her honeymoon riding side-saddle some 2,000 miles
across the vast, often perilous trail to Oregon Country--something no other white
woman had ever done. Then she and Marcus lived happily ever after singing
hymns and teaching the Indians about the Bible, right? Wrong! Readers will find
out what really happened when East met West at the end of the real-life,
legendary Oregon Trail.
National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core
Resources.
The Oregon Trail
by Jean F. Blashfield.
An introductory history of the Oregon Trail and its significance in opening the
west to settlers, including information on the people who opened the Trail, their
reasons for going west, modes of transportation, and a description of a typical
day on the Trail.
Oregon Trail Cooking
by Mary Gunderson.
Discusses the everyday life, family roles, cooking methods, and common foods
of pioneers who traveled west on the Oregon Trail during the nineteenth
century. Includes recipes.
A Frontier Fort on the Oregon Trail
By Scott Steedman
Step inside a 19th century frontier fort and discover for yourself what life was like
for the pioneers of the American West. Dramatic cutaway illustrations provide a
vivid insight into the challenges they faced:
 travel westward with a wagon train of pioneers seeking new land to settle;








watch the fort being built in rugged terrain;
spend a day with a soldier, see his uniform and his equipment;
visit an Indian encampment, and learn how they lived;
find out about the traders, carrying basic necessities from fort to fort;
discover how skilled trappers worked;
witness the coming of the Pony Express, Wells Fargo, and the railroad;
learn about the daily life of the pioneers;
find out what happened to the forts after the West was "won".
On the Oregon Trail
Text by Jonathan Nicholas ; photography by Ron Cronin.
Cronin spent two years traveling the entire Oregon Trail seeking those places
apparently least changed since the emigration to fill this volume with some of
the most stunning color photographs imaginable (taken with an 8x10" view
camera). This goes way beyond the hype of reopening the Trail for tourism. The
minimal text by Nicholas is mainly (and appropriately) limited to the captions.
11.25x12.5". Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
The Story of the Oregon Trail
By R. Conrad Stein
Depicts life on the Oregon Trail in the 1800s as people traveled west in pursuit of
their dreams.
A Covered Wagon Girl : The Diary of Sallie Hester, 1849-1850
Edited by Christy Steele with Ann Hodgson
Excerpts from the diary of Sallie Hester, a fourteen-year-old girl who tells her
family's journey along the Oregon-California Trail during 1849-1850. Includes
activities and a timeline related to the era.
Donner Dinner Party
By Nathan Hale.
The Reed family struggles to survive the wagon train journey from Illinois to
California as members of the ill-fated Donner Party. The Donner Party expedition
is one of the most notorious stories in all of American history. It’s also a
fascinating snapshot of the westward expansion of the United States, and the
families and individuals who sacrificed so much to build new lives in a largely
unknown landscape. From the preparation for the journey to each disastrous leg
of the trip, this book shows the specific bad decisions that led to the party’s
predicament in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The graphic novel focuses on the
struggles of the Reed family to tell the true story of the catastrophic journey.
Resources available at other locations:
The Oregon Trail by Rachel Lynette. The Oregon Trail marked one of the major
paths to the West. Readers learn why people embarked on this arduous journey,
what life was like traveling along the trail, and the kinds of hardships faced
along the way. Chapters trace the history of the Great Migration of 1843, the
trail's effect on settlement patterns, and the influence migration patterns had on
Oregon statehood.
The Oregon Trail : An Interactive History Adventure by Matt Doeden. You're living
in the United States during the time of the Westward Expansion. Settlers are
heading west on the Oregon Trail as they seek better lives. Will you: Go west with
your family as part of a wagon train? Serve as a trail guide for a group of
settlers? Try to cope with the changes in your way of life as a western American
Indian? Everything in this book happened to real people. And YOU CHOOSE
what you do next. The choices you make could lead you to opportunity, to
wealth, to poverty, or even to death.
The Oregon Trail by Mel Friedman. Discusses how the United States gained
ownership of the Oregon Territory, who discovered the best routes west, and the
obstacles pioneers faced on their journeys along the Oregon Trail.
Your Life as a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail by Jessica Gunderson. You just tried
out for the school play. And who wants the lead part more than anyone? YOU!
Imagine racing horseback across the plains. Making your own rules. Roasting
marshmallows and hot dogs around the campfire. But be careful what you wish
for. That might not be the way it was for a pioneer on the Oregon Trail .
How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? : and Other Questions About the
Trail West by Miriam Aronin. In the spring of 1843, nearly one thousand people
gathered in Independence, Missouri. They came from all over the eastern United
States, and many had to sell most of their possessions to afford the trip. Yet their
journey was just beginning. the group set out for Oregon Country, a four- to sixmonth trek across plains, mountains, valleys, and rivers. Not everyone survived
the difficult trip. Still, before the end of the 1800s, many more wagon trains
would travel the Oregon Trail to reach what became the western United States.
So why were Americans moving west? What hardships would they face on the
journey? And who blazed the Oregon Trail? Discover the facts about this
important trail west and how it affected U.S. history.
Surviving the Oregon Trail byRebecca Stefoff. In the Nineteenth Century, Over
Half a Million Men, Women and Children Traveled West On the Oregon Trail.
Stretching Two Thousand Miles From Independence Missouri, To the Pacific
Northwest, the Oregon Trail Was the Longest Overland Route Used In the
Westward Expansion. Crossing Mountains and Deserts, Fighting Disease, Short of
Both Food and Water, Pioneers Endured Many Hardships To Follow the Trail West
With Their Hopes and Dreams of Seeking Fortunes In the Unsettled West. In
Surviving the Oregon Trail, Author Rebecca Stefoff Traces the Roots of the
Oregon and California Trails Back To the Seventeenth Century, Telling the Stories
of Those Who Left the Security and Comfort of Their Homes, To Endure Months of
Hard Travel In the Hope of a New Life.
How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail : My Adventures Among Cows, Crooks &
Heroes on the Road to Fame and Fortune : Writing Journal of--Master William
Reed : Portland, Oregon 1852 by Tod Olson. This whimsical recounting of one
family's journey to their new homestead will give readers an appreciation of the
hardships faced by all those who signed up for the great migration. These
include hunger, thirst, sickness, hostile American Indians, and even deceit and
thievery on the part of fellow travelers. The book also shows the ingenuity, skill,
and trickery used to overcome such challenges.
Wittily interweaving the fictional characters' adventures with historical
personages, locales, and events, Tod Olson captures many distinctive facets of
the pioneering American spirit. Uniquely, he examines the economic angles of
America's westward expansion, showing the lure of financial opportunities that
tempted so many onto the Oregon Trail--and the harsh realities that they
discovered along the way. Artwork and archival images create a scrapbook
collage effect, making the book a visual feast, and a fascinating snapshot of
this period of American history. The rich back matter includes a note from Marc
Aronson that specifies what is fact and what is fiction, as well as an extensive
"Encyclopedia of the Oregon Trail." National Geographic supports K-12
educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
The Oregon Trail : a Primary Source History of the Route to the American West by
Steven P. Olson. This fascinating book describes how the American West was
opened. Readers will learn about life in the "established" nation in the east and
the reason some chose to move west. Using wonderful primary source
documents and images, it details the blazing of the Oregon Trail and the
challenges settlers faced as they rode west. Authentic quotes and images put
the reader directly on the trail that forged a new territory and tamed the Wild
West.