The areas first tracked by trappers and trailblazers began to attract farmers and families and other pioneers by the 1840s. The Oregon Trail—nothing more than two wagon ruts—was originally blazed in 1841. By the mid-1840s, a trickle of pioneers made that long walk west.

With about $1,000, they outfitted a wagon in Independence, Missouri, for their entire family. Most had no idea of the hardships that lay ahead—the forbidding mountains, the pitiless deserts, and the predatory Native Americans.

The pioneers began their trip on foot. Only the sick, some of the women, and the very young rode inside the wagons. A few rode horses, but most trudged along, coaxing loose herds of milk cows, mules, and extra oxen. For safety, they traveled in large groups of up to fifty wagons. The "prairie schooners" were piled high with flour, beans...