a) Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail, a 2,170-mile wagon route, was the primary path for settlers moving to the American West, particularly in the 1830s to 1860s. Starting in Missouri, the trail traversed the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and ended in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It was a treacherous journey, fraught with hardships like disease, accidents, and weather extremes. This trail played a crucial role in the westward expansion, facilitating the migration of hundreds of thousands of settlers and shaping the demographic and social landscape of the American West.