Trails to the West

Sit with your familyWhat you need out:Family supply posterDaily Journal SheetPen/pencilNotebook or paper to take notes (Quiz Friday)If the writing is in RED, you may want to take note of ithint hint, wink wink

Trails to the West

Why?Different reasons to move West of the Mississippi River:Fur A dangerous job, but if successful, can make you richGoldCalifornia Gold Rush 184930% of people made a good profit, 30% broke even, 30% lost money, 10% lost their livesReligionMormons fled the East and Midwest because people didnt agree with their religious beliefs.

How?Independence, Missouri was the starting point for most familiesThe trip cost about $600 a familyWorkers only made an average of $1.50 a day. If a family had two workers saving money, how many days of work would be needed to save $600? Travel in a wagon train leave in groups between 10 and 40 wagons. Why? Answer:Family members would walk to save Ox/Horse strengthOther FactsMore settlers were helped by Natives than hurt in attacks often the stories of Indian massacres were made upBecause of the numerous rivers and mountains, many families had to abandon their wagon and walk with the Horse/Ox. This made it hard to transport their suppliesMormons headed West to Utah to escape religious persecution. Brigham Young was the head of the Mormon Church during their journey West

YOUR FAMILY JOURNEYYou left Ft. Leavenworth with your family of 4 in search of a better life. You hope your family is prepared, having bought a few hundred dollars worth of supplies. But are you ready to face the Plains, the Rocky Mountains, Deserts, and other obstacles?This is what you faced during your first month and what decision you must face:Supplies UsedIt took a month for your family to get from Fr. Leavenworth to Ft. Kearney. Since you knew Ft. Kearney was along the way, your family used 50 lbs of food. Your oldest child fell in a creek, causing you to use an extra set of clothes. Lastly, the early Spring rains left many bumps in the road. You had to use a spare tire after one cracked on the rough path.

Decision TimeYou arrive at Ft. Kearney only to see that the fort is out of supplies. You have two options:Option 1: Take the Northern trail to Ft. Laramie, where you hear there are great berry bushes for your family to stock up on food.Option 2: Take the Southern trail to Ft. Laramie, which is a shorter path and would allow for more rest before you depart Ft. Laramie for the Rocky Mountains.

Option 1Your family has found acres of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries! You have gained 25lb of food for your family. HOWEVER, your youngest child ate poisonous berries before you could inspect them. If you have a medical kit, use it to save the child (mandatory). If you dont have a medical kit, you are forced to buy one from the Lagona family at an inflated price of $75! Subtract the money from your balance. Option 2The shortcut to Ft. Laramie has been full of ups and downs. You broke an axle on the path, forcing you to use a spare. (No spare? You can buy one from the Lagona family for $50). The jolt from the path was so strong, that one set of ammo fell out of your wagon. But, you did find an abandoned wagon and were able to add a medical kit and a set of clothes to your supply list. TomorrowYou will find that your journey to Ft. Laramie begins to take its toll on your family. There is a store though, which will help replenish your supplies. Beware though, the store is expensive. Luckily, you hear that good hunting grounds are coming up very soonTo complete today:Complete your adding/subtracting supplies to your family supply list (cut/glue/color)Complete your daily journal; list the $ you started with, finished with, and what supplies you lost/gainedSave your notes quiz Friday!

Day 3

Ft. LaramieAs your second month comes to an end, the excitement of the trip has warn off. Your family members are getting sick, the oxen are losing weight and slowing down, and the trail is getting rougher. The following information should be added to your notes for Fridays quiz. Then, we will cover what your family has endured the past month. DiseaseAs your time on the trail increases, so does the likelihood that you will get sick. Sand and dirt contaminates your food. The humid air ruins sugar, flour, and bread. Insects infest your meat supply. The watering holes your family drinks at are infested with animal feces. You or your family members will probably get sick with:CholeraA fever that can kill within 24 hours. Its caught by drinking contaminated water or being near an infected person

DysenteryA stomach disease that causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain. If untreated, it can lead to death. Obtained through contaminated water or food.

ScurvyIllness caused by not getting enough Vitamin C. Symptoms include bone pain, bleeding gums, loss of teeth, pale skin, and eventually death.

LiceLice is an insect that feeds on blood and lives in the hairy parts of the human body (most commonly found on your head). Lice is seen in people who have not bathed in a long time. They can live for 20 days and lay hundreds of eggs. They cause skin irritation.

Lyme DiseaseDisease caused by Tick bites. If a tick is infected and bites, the disease can be passed. Symptoms include fatigue, fever, joint and muscle pain, and a red rash. If it is not treated, the heart and nervous system can be damaged.

Ft. Kearney to Ft. LaramieFt. Kearney had no supplies, so your family is depending on your remaining supplies to get you to Ft. Laramie. Along the way, there were some bad times. The following supplies were used in order to continue your journey:FoodYour family cut back on its rations, only using 25lbs of food. However, lack of food leads to other problemsDiseaseBoth children get sick from drinking water that Buffalo had contaminated. You need to use two medical kits to save them. If you do not have enough medical kits, it will cost you $50 per kit needed. (You must save your children, unless you have run out of money). NativesWhile most Native Americans are nice, there are some tribes known to require payment to cross their land. They give you two options for payment:Option 1 25 lbs of food, 2 sets of clothes, 2 ammoOption 2 2 sets of clothes, 1 gun, 2 ammo, 1 wheel***If you do not have enough supplies for either option, you must pay $200Rough PathThe rough trails cost you an axle and a wheel.

Decision TimeAs you leave Ft. Laramie, you must cross the Grayrocks River. You have three options:Option 1: You can try to caulk the wagon and float across the river.Option 2: You can try to walk across the river at its shallowest point.Option 3: You can pay $75 to use the newly constructed bridge.Option 1You made it safely across the river! Congratulations!Option 2While walking across the river bed, one of your oxen breaks his leg. You have no choice put to put the oxen down. However, the meat is a welcome treat for your family!Lose 1 oxen and 1 set of ammoGain 75lbs of foodOption 3This bridge did not meet code! Too bad there is no enforcement of building codes in 1849 in Wyoming. Your wagon and family fall into the river! You lose the following:The oldest adult in your group cannot swim, and drowns. Lose 25lb of food, 1 set of clothes, 1 oxen, 1 set of ammo, and $50. BUT! The builder of the bridge is sorry, and gives you a medical kit and his condolences. Rest of classFinish your adding/subtracting supplies on your chart. Draw any gained supplies. Cross off lost supplies. We will visit the store before continuing on the journey tomorrow. Complete your Daily Journal with information on $ spent, supplies lost/gained, and any changes in family members (sickness, death). DAY 4Sit with your familyHave out your family poster and daily journalDaily JournalOn the back, list the amount of items you have. Food:Sets of Clothes:Spare Wheels:Spare Axles:Medical Kits:Guns:Ammo:Ox:MONEY LEFT:Ft. LaramieBefore heading into the Rocky Mountains, the most dangerous part of your trip, you have the chance to purchase items for your wagon. This is what is available at the store. Please list your purchases on the BACK of your DAILY JOURNAL sheet and how much you spend. Make your purchases now:Food: NONE AVAILABLESets of Clothes: $25Wheel: $25Axle: $40Medical Kit: $40Gun: $50Ammo: $25Oxen: $125ON YOUR FAMILY POSTEROn the front OR back, create a new list of the supplies you have. Put a title that says Supplies on Day 4HUNTINGEach group will have the chance to shoot a buffalo to gain food and clothes for their family. Each buffalo shot is worth 100 lbs of food and 2 sets of clothes. You will send TWO hunters to the field. You will have two shots to kill a buffalo. `y

Add the food and clothes to your total supply list. IF YOU DID NOT SHOOT A BUFFALO, and YOU HAVE NO FOOD, your youngest child dies of starvation. In your notebook/back of note sheetWould you risk your life to take the journey west for Gold/Fur/Religion? Why/why not? 3-4 sentencesBeginning of ClassPull out your notebook and write your Weekend Adventure journal MondayYou family is making its way through the Rocky Mountains towards Ft. HallFt. Hall, located in present day Idaho, was one of the most important stops on the Oregon Trail

Ft. HallIn the 1840s and 1850s, 250,000+ people stop at Ft. Hall on their way West. Its owners changed hands between the British and the U.S.Biggest selling items was FURCalifornia Gold Rush

January 24th, 1848Gold was found in Coloma, CaliforniaIn todays $, BILLIONS worth of gold foundFirst found as nuggets on the ground, then people began panning for goldPANNING: Process of using a pan to sift through gravel to find gold

50EffectsCalifornia becomes a state in 1850 because of the population boomSan Francisco grows from 200 residents (1846) to 36,000 residents (1852)\100,000 California Indians killed due to effects of miners, many more forced off their landNegative environmental impactYour Family JourneyAs you passed through the Rocky Mountains, the following troubles hit your group:Your family used 225 lbs of food to keep you and other wagon families alive. If you do not have 225 lbs of food, your youngest adult dies of starvation. The bumpy path causes two wheels to break and an axle to break. If you do not have two wheels and an axle, you must leave your wagon behind and lose the following:Items left behindHalf your clothesAll wheels/axles remainingHalf your remaining food supply2 medical kits2 ammo1 gun

The cold weather takes its toll on your clothing. You lost 4 sets of clothes. Arrival at Ft. HallIf you are still alive, welcome to Ft. Hall! If you are deceased, you can still help your team as a ghost during this activity. IN FRIDAYs JOURNAL SPOT, list the supplies you have remaining.

NONE SHALL PASSTo continue from Ft. Hall, your family must pass a trivia test. Your answers will be written on the dry-erase board. Each correct answer keeps you alive. Each WRONG answer means your group must pick 1 supply item to lose. Hopefully, you have supplies left to finish your last month of the journey. This disease could be prevented if you ate more Chili Peppers and BroccoliSCURVYOur journey on the Oregon Trail began in this city:Independence, MissouriTrue or false: An OXEN is basically the same thing as a male cattle (cow) TRUEThe Oregon Trail went through 6 states, and there were 2 other states that could be destinations. Name the 8 statesMissouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Idaho, OregonUtah (Mormons) California (Gold)As a family, please decide your final path. You may either:Continue to Oregon Travel to CaliforniaOn the bottom of your Journal sheet, list where you are going and why you chose to go there. Final DayToday you will see if you and your family members have survived the 6+ month journey to the West. Before we begin, take out your journal/notes from yesterday to add to.QUIZ FRIDAYLewis and Clark Expedition1804-1806

Sent by Thomas Jefferson Main Goals:Finding the Northwest Passage to link with AsiaMeet & greet Native AmericansLook for land resources in Louisiana TerritoryStudy animal & plant life

Their guide was.._________________

Sacagawea15 years old when she helped Lewis & ClarkWas pregnant when trip began, gave birth during expeditionHelped with navigation and being a translatorCan you imagine being a teenager, with a young child, WALKING thousands of miles in two years as you help two explorers? Final Part of JourneyIf going to California: You are headed to the Gold Rush If youre going to Oregon, youll be a farmer, fisherman, or fur trader. Along the way, you need 50 lbs of food. If you do not have 50 lbs of food, the remaining members of the group need to either agree on who dies or do Rock, Paper, Scissors best of 3, to decide who will be killed off. 72DecisionTo get to your new home location, you need to choose 1 of 3 options:Option 1: Pay $75 for a guide to your final destinationOption 2: You can take the river down to your destination Option 3: You can fight a Native tribe for their land, which has lots of fur and gold possibilitiesOption 1 - Congrats!If youre still alive, you have made it to your destination. You can sell your supplies and start your new life!Option 2 - RiverAll adults drown. The children are adopted by future millionaires. They live happily ever after. Option 3 Native FightThe Natives, knowing the landscape, kill all people in your wagon.

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