In the year 1830, a well-known fur trader named William Sublette drove the first wagons along a trail into the Rocky Mountains. In the decades that followed, many emigrants westward traveled this same trail, which came to be called The Oregon Trail. The Native Americans called it the White-Topped Wagon Road. It was also called The Mormon Trail, The Platte Trail, and The California Trail because people traveled it in search of gold in California, land in Oregon, or a Christian mission camp in the Wild West. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Oregon Trail was traveled primarily by emigrants, but was also used by the army and followed in part by the Pony Express and stagecoaches. The Oregon Trail began east to Missouri and continued to the Pacific Ocean. Many of the emigrant journeys began in eastern Kansas. An average trip on the Oregon Trail took four to six months. There were many challenges along the way. The cholera disease killed more emigrants than anything else. Cholera was often terrible diarrhea caused by bad food, unclean water, or adverse weather conditions and temperature changes. There were also other deadly diseases, such as measles, smallpox, and diphtheria. There were also big thunderstorms. Many emigrants were killed by hail, lightning, and strong winds. Emigrants were also killed by drowning, run over by wagon wheels and by starvation. When people died along the trail, their bodies were sometimes buried along the trail. If there was no time for burial, the bodies were often abandoned along the edge of the path. Furthermore, if an elderly person was sick and dying, the emigrants would be forced to leave the sick person along the edge of the path to die and to prevent him from infecting others with his deadly disease. It was also reported that most able-bodied children of all ages crossed the United States on foot, and some did not wear shoes. They were forced to walk because the wagons measured only about four by ten feet wide and were filled to the brim with farm tools, food, furniture, and other necessary supplies. They tried to keep the rain off the wagons by treating the cotton covers with linseed oil, but they still ended up leaking. Emigrants often went entire days without bathing. Their only chance to clean themselves came when they reached a river. There were reports of attacks by Native Americans. Initially, most encounters with Native Americans were merely commercial transactions. Native Americans used to offer food or horses in exchange for guns, clothing or tobacco. However, after a few years the Native Americans became hostile because the emigrants had overharvested the prairie grass, burned all available firewood, and killed most of the buffalo. Soon many tribes along the Platte were starving and impoverished. This led to Native American hostility toward the emigrants. When this happened, the Native Americans stole things from the emigrants so they could survive. Because of this, both Native Americans and emigrants were killed. Crossing the river was also an important part of the trip along the Oregon Trail. At every river crossing there were ferry guards. They would carry your wagons, livestock, and anything else traveling with you across the river. The cost of ferries was about a dollar per car and ten cents per head for livestock. Please note: this is just an example. Get a document now..