Describe the Problems Faced by Migrants Travelling West to Oregon and California.
Describe the problems faced by migrants travelling west to Oregon and California. (9 marks)
There were many problems faced by migrants travelling west to Oregon and California which we know of, and these problems were more or less life-threatening. Most people ask why these migrants bothered to travel knowing the risks and more than likely consequences. Most Migrant’s and settler’s decisions were effected by push and pull factors, some which give no other option to these people but to move. The risks of their journeys consisted of predictable things such as bad weather however they also consisted of badly surprising things such as hostile Indian attacks.
One major Problem migrants had to face when travelling west was severe weather, however they could do nothing to prevent this, just be prepared and ready for anything to come. Severe weather such as rain, sandstorms, quicksand, snow and harsh winds made life very hard for these migrants on the move. Some people weren’t prepared and this weather meant food was limited as reaching a fort would be not only difficult but impossible in that kind of weather. If the prairie grass didn’t grow or was covered in snow, the horses’ which were great attributes to their journey would not have food and if horses started dying, the journey wouldn’t last quite long. Severe weather also had a huge impact to deaths as the worse the weather got, the more there were sick people; the more deaths that occurred.
The Donner Party was a group of people lead by two wealthy brothers Jacob and George Donner who left Independence in May 1846 with the hopes of reaching Oregon and California. The Donner party were a clear demonstration of how weather was a very big problem for migrants. They were trapped in by snow one their journey which lost a lot of time because of the misleading shortcut less than half the group decided to take. Once being snowed in they were soon short of food and supplies and one man had died of starvation. This
There were many problems faced by migrants travelling west to Oregon and California which we know of, and these problems were more or less life-threatening. Most people ask why these migrants bothered to travel knowing the risks and more than likely consequences. Most Migrant’s and settler’s decisions were effected by push and pull factors, some which give no other option to these people but to move. The risks of their journeys consisted of predictable things such as bad weather however they also consisted of badly surprising things such as hostile Indian attacks.
One major Problem migrants had to face when travelling west was severe weather, however they could do nothing to prevent this, just be prepared and ready for anything to come. Severe weather such as rain, sandstorms, quicksand, snow and harsh winds made life very hard for these migrants on the move. Some people weren’t prepared and this weather meant food was limited as reaching a fort would be not only difficult but impossible in that kind of weather. If the prairie grass didn’t grow or was covered in snow, the horses’ which were great attributes to their journey would not have food and if horses started dying, the journey wouldn’t last quite long. Severe weather also had a huge impact to deaths as the worse the weather got, the more there were sick people; the more deaths that occurred.
The Donner Party was a group of people lead by two wealthy brothers Jacob and George Donner who left Independence in May 1846 with the hopes of reaching Oregon and California. The Donner party were a clear demonstration of how weather was a very big problem for migrants. They were trapped in by snow one their journey which lost a lot of time because of the misleading shortcut less than half the group decided to take. Once being snowed in they were soon short of food and supplies and one man had died of starvation. This