Westward Ho! Test Your Oregon Trail Knowledge
By: Ben Campbell |
Published: Apr 21, 2024
During the 19th century, the Oregon Trail served as a main route to the American West and played a pivotal role in helping emigrants begin new lives in the Northwestern regions.
Let’s see how much you really know about the Oregon Trail.
1. Where did the Oregon Trail begin?
- A) Missouri
- B) Nebraska
- C) Wyoming
- D) Idaho
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![An old Oregon Trail Marker along the road](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/6eb940ad-screenshot-2024-04-05-134604.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
Answer: Missouri
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![An image of St. Louis during the evening in Missouri](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/adf1e2fd-screenshot-2024-04-05-134619.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
2. How long was the Oregon Trail?
- A) 200 miles
- B) 500 miles
- C) 1,000 miles
- D) 2,000 miles
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![A depiction of one cart traveling along the Oregon Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/3f69e971-screenshot-2024-04-05-134650.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
Answer: 2,000 miles
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![A map showing the various routes of the Oregon Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/4be0a465-screenshot-2024-04-05-134716.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
3. How did people travel along the Oregon Trail?
- A) They walked
- B) They rode horses
- C) They traveled in wagons
- D) All of the above
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![An image of several carts and numerous horses walking along the Oregon Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/37915b24-screenshot-2024-04-05-134738.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: All of the above
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![An image of several people traveling along the Oregon Trail on horseback](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/a22901fc-screenshot-2024-04-05-134808.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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4. One in every ___ died as they traveled along the Oregon Trail.
- A) Five
- B) Eight
- C) 10
- D) 20
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![An image of a man and his cart on the Oregon Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/1dbdadb0-screenshot-2024-04-05-134828.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: 10
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![An image taken inside of a small cemetery](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/a71225ed-screenshot-2024-04-05-134847.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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5. Which disease infected many traveling along the Oregon Trail?
- A) influenza
- B) Tuberculosis
- C) Cholera
- D) Measles
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![An image of an older man lying in a hospital bed](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/9090fc96-screenshot-2024-04-05-134911.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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Answer: Cholera
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![An older man is pictured lying in a hospital bed](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/9d194106-screenshot-2024-04-05-134931.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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6. How much, on average, did people spend to travel along the Oregon Trail?
- A) $250
- B) $500
- C) $750
- D) $1,000
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![An image of a large amount of American $100 bills](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/35c31be1-screenshot-2024-04-05-135011.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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Answer: $1,000 (or around $32,000 in today's money)
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![An image of several American bills](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/c35dfc37-screenshot-2024-04-05-135028.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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7. What did Indigenous Americans do to those traveling along the Oregon Trail?
- A) Attacked them
- B) Helped them with directions
- C) Offered them food
- D) All of the above
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![An image that depicts Native Americans attacking a village](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/b8a5fd46-screenshot-2024-04-05-135425.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: All of the above
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![An image of Treaty of Penn with Native Americans by Benjamin West.](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/1443462c-screenshot-2024-04-05-135521.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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8. Who were the first emigrants to walk the trail?
- A) James Miller and Mark Law
- B) Elish Perkins and Ann McKinley
- C) James Clyman and Charles Preuss
- D) Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman
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![Goodale's Cutoff of the Oregon Trail at Lava Lake](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/33167dc4-screenshot-2024-04-05-135537.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman
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![An image depicting the murder of Rev. Dr. Whitman by a member of the Cayuse tribe](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/05a09ea2-screenshot-2024-04-05-135620.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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9. Typical wagons were around _ feet wide by _ feet long.
- A) 4, 12
- B) 4, 13
- C) 5, 15
- D) 5, 17
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![An image of a wagon parked beside a river on the Oregon Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/a1072185-screenshot-2024-04-05-135642.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: 4, 12
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![An image of a large wagon used by American settlers](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/28166dbc-screenshot-2024-04-05-135705.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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10. Which of these religious groups made up a significant portion of those traveling along the Oregon Trail?
- A) Muslims
- B) Jews
- C) Orthodox Christians
- D) Latter-day Saints
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![AN image of many Muslims praying in a building](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/2eaf5b1d-screenshot-2024-04-05-135748.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: Latter-day Saints
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![An image that depicts several Mormons crossing the plains of Nebraska](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/203345a4-screenshot-2024-04-05-135810.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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11. Where did the Oregon Trail end?
- A) Idaho
- B) Nebraska
- C) Wyoming
- D) Oregon
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![Trail Ruts pictured near Guernsey in Wyoming](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/26fac741-screenshot-2024-04-05-135834.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: Oregon
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![An image showing the start and end of the Oregon Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/87bdc4ca-screenshot-2024-04-05-135906.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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12. What was the most famous landmark on the Oregon Trail?
- A) Council Bluffs
- B) South Pass
- C) Westport
- D) Statue of Liberty
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![An image showing off the Council Bluffs at the Lewis and Clark scenic overlook](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/2dfac864-screenshot-2024-04-05-135921.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: South Pass
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![An image taken of the landscape close to the South Pass](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/c334fd23-screenshot-2024-04-05-135946.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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13. How many people died traveling along the Oregon Trail?
- A) 5,000
- B) 10,000
- C) 20,000
- D) 40,000
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![An image of a small camp outside of Fort Laramie on the Oregon Pass](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/d2c5106d-screenshot-2024-04-05-140009.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: 20,000
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![A family is pictured laying flowers at a cemetery](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/21b9da96-screenshot-2024-04-05-140034.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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14. How many settlers traveled along the Oregon Trail?
- A) 100,000
- B) 200,000
- C) 300,000
- D) 400,000
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![A picture of several people walking through a field](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/8fbcb0b0-screenshot-2024-04-05-140056.jpg)
Source: Freepik
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Answer: 400,000
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![An image of a man and a woman hiking along a trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/04a9b8be-screenshot-2024-04-05-140118.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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15. The Oregon Trail was one of two main emigrant routes during the 19th century. What was the other?
- A) Wolfs Trail
- B) Comanche Trail
- C) Santa Fe Trail
- D) Virginia Trail
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![A painting depicts a trail that passes between two mountainous peaks](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/e55857dd-screenshot-2024-04-05-140136.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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Answer: Santa Fe Trail
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![An image of a sign referencing the Santa Fe Trail](https://images.pastchronicle.com/2024/04/17eeb12c-screenshot-2024-04-05-140205.jpg)
Source: Wikimedia
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