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Free Traveling Guides » States » Nebraska » DestinationsOregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was one of the most important overland migration routes in the North American continent. During the 19th century, the early pioneers used to travel in wagons across this trail to settle new parts of the Unites States. It is this trail that helped the US to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. However, the use of this trail diminished soon after the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. The Oregon Trail, measuring 2170 miles (3490 km) in length, runs through six states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.
The designated starting point of the Trail is Independence or Westport on the Missouri River, and its termination point is the Oregon City in Oregon. Its basic route mainly follows the river valleys. Initially, it follows the Santa Fe Trail, south of the Wakarusa River, and then, crosses The Hill at Lawrence, Kansas. After crossing the Kansas River near Topeka, Kansas, it angles to Nebraska and runs along the Little Blue River until it reaches the south side of the Platte River. Here, it follows the Platte, North Platte, and Sweetwater Rivers until it reaches the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. From the South pass, the Trail follows the Snake River to the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oregon. The Barlow Road, the most popular route branching off the Oregon Trail, leads to the spectacular Willamette Valley.
The Oregon Trail is marked by a number of shortcuts and cutoffs from Missouri to Oregon. The Salt lake cutoff provides a route to the Salt Lake City, while the Lander and Sublette cutoffs provide shorter routes, bypassing Fort Bridger. The major trails that follow the Oregon Trail for part of its length include the Mormon Trail and the California Trail. The remnants of the Oregon Trail in Kansas, Idaho, Wyoming, and Oregon, have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The most famous landmarks along the Trail include the Courthouse and Jail Rocks, the Chimney Rock, the Scotts Bluff, the Register Cliff, the Independence Rock, and the Ayres Natural Bridge.
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