What did the settlers use to travel west?
Roads, Canals, and Trails Led the Way for Western Settlers Americans who heeded the call to “go west, young man” may have been proceeding with a great sense of adventure. In some notable cases, the way westward was a road or canal which had been constructed specifically to accommodate settlers.
What was the most important item that settlers needed to travel west?
By far, the most important item for successful life on the trail was the covered wagon. It had to be sturdy enough to withstand the elements yet small and light enough for a team of oxen or mules to pull day after day.
What helped settlers move westward easily?
Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, the Homestead Act encouraged westward migration and settlement by providing 160-acre tracts of land west of the Mississippi at little cost, in return for a promise to improve the land.
What 2 things brought settlers out West?
Land, mining, and improved transportation by rail brought settlers to the American West during the Gilded Age.
How did the settlers survive the westward expansion?
Though it was commonly traveled, settlers still faced difficult journeys westward. Travelers along these overland trails survived by cooperating with each other in wagon trains.
How did people get to the west coast?
Often heavy items such as furniture, stoves, pianos would be freighted to the West Coast by clipper ship around the Horn of South America. If such heavy things were packed in the wagons, they usually ended up left along trailside along the way.
Why did the pioneers go to the west?
Despite all these hazards, the journey west seemed a worthy risk. At the end of this long journey, lay the gold country, California, where gold flowed in streams and men grew rich off little work. This temptation lured many away from their homes back east and out onto the prairies.
What was the most popular route for westward expansion?
Southwestern travelers more often than not used the Santa Fe Trail to move westward. Routes to the Northwest varied, but the Oregon Trail became the best known and most often followed pathway to the northwest. Though it was commonly traveled, settlers still faced difficult journeys westward.