Crucial to the success and well-being of travelers on the trail were the many forts and other settlements that sprang up along the route. These outposts offered protection and supplies for emigrants, as well as travel advice and a welcome respite from the rigours of the journey. Among the most significant were Fort Kearny (present-day Kearney, Nebraska), at a spot on the Platte River where all trails from the east merged; Fort Laramie, an important resupply point before the trail ventured through Wyoming; Fort Bridger (southwestern Wyoming), where the Mormon Trail branched southward off the main trail; and Fort Hall, where the trail reached the Snake River. Marcus Whitman’s mission was also an important stopping point in the early years until its destruction in 1847; Fort Walla Walla replaced it in 1856.

The penultimate stop for many emigrants was Fort Vancouver (now Vancouver, Washington), the large British outpost and headquarters of the Hudson’s Bay Company, on the north bank of the Columbia River. There weary travelers found much-needed food, medicine, and assistance, in the early years from the company’s director, John McLoughlin. Later his general store in Oregon City, which he opened in 1846 after retiring from the company, was considered the final stop on the Oregon Trail.

Shortcuts

Over the years several shortcuts or supposed shortenings of the trail came into (and went out of) favour. Two that eventually became a part of the main route were the Sublette (or Greenwood) Cutoff in southwestern Wyoming and the Barlow Road in northern Oregon. The Sublette Cutoff lopped some 70 miles (110 km) off the main route by heading straight west across the desert from the Parting of the Ways trail divide (about 15 miles [25 km] west of South Pass) to and then beyond the Green River to Cokeville, just east of the present-day Idaho border. The main hazard of that route was the long waterless stretch before reaching the Green.

In the early days of the Oregon Trail, its western land terminus was a spot on the Oregon side of the river on the eastern slope of the Cascades (the present-day city of The Dalles). Those wishing to continue had to abandon or disassemble their wagons and load their possessions onto self-made rafts or rented boats. The journey down the lower Columbia River was a harrowing experience that included braving the rapids (the “cascades”) on the Columbia and battling relentless headwinds. Many lost their lives on this final leg of the trip, but those who succeeded made their way to either Fort Vancouver or the mouth of the Willamette River. From there they could reach the trail’s terminus at Oregon City. The construction in 1846 of the Barlow Road through the forests and rugged terrain of the Cascades around Mount Hood provided the final link in the overland trek to Oregon City. The road was rough and dangerously steep and the toll fees high (though they dropped in later years), but most travelers deemed it safer than risking life and limb on the Columbia.

Trail markers and landmarks

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It did not take long, once the first large wagon trains had passed through, for the trail to became a well-marked and beaten path. The Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean de Smet in 1851 described the stretch along the Platte River as “this noble highway which is as smooth as a barn floor swept by the winds, and not a blade of grass can shoot up on it account of continued passing.” The passage of so many thousands of wagons cut deep ruts in the trail’s surface, which can still be seen in many places today.

There were numerous natural landmarks along the way that travelers used as guideposts and morale boosters. Some of the best known included Blue Mound in Kansas; Courthouse and Jail rocks, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff in Nebraska; Laramie Peak, Independence Rock, Devil’s Gate, Split Rock, the Wind River Range, and Twin Buttes (near the South Pass) in Wyoming; Three Buttes (near Fort Hall) in Idaho; and Flagstaff Hill and, finally, Mount Hood in Oregon. All served to keep the emigrants heading in the right direction and were welcome sights—especially Scotts Bluff, located about one-third of the way along the trail, and Flagstaff Hill, marking the beginning of the journey’s last phase.

Travelers also left numerous markers and signs along the way. Messages and words of advice from previous pioneers—from warnings of potential dangers (e.g., hostile Indians or contaminated water) to directional signs—could be found on the trail. The messages were conveyed in a variety of ways: written on paper, painted on trees, or carved on rocks and even skulls. Often, strips of cloth were attached to them to signal their presence.

The trail was littered with evidence of human passage. Much of it was simply the garbage and other refuse of daily living. However, a fair amount of the debris consisted of goods—e.g., food, equipment, and personal items—that travelers typically discarded to lighten the loads in their wagons. Sometimes emigrants left notes on their abandoned possessions encouraging others to take what they needed. Death was another “marker” on the trail. The carcasses or skeletons of dead animals were often seen, especially on the drier and harsher segments of the trail. More sobering were the graves of people who had fallen victim to mishaps—typically disease or injury—along the way.