Stories of the Oregon Trail

Emanuel Leutze’s 1863 oil on canvas, Indians Attacking a Wagon Train, romantically illustrates the transcontinental Oregon Trail migration that began in earnest in 1843. In the first five years, fewer than 15,000 made the cross-country trek on the route to Oregon and California, but by 1860, nearly 500,000 pioneers had crossed to the Pacific Coast states and Utah Territory. — Courtesy Dover Free Public Library, Public Domain,