Westward Ho! Test Your Oregon Trail Knowledge

By: Ben Campbell | Published: Apr 21, 2024

During the 19th century, the Oregon Trail served as a main route to the American West and played a pivotal role in helping emigrants begin new lives in the Northwestern regions. 

Let’s see how much you really know about the Oregon Trail.

1. Where did the Oregon Trail begin?

  • A) Missouri
  • B) Nebraska
  • C) Wyoming
  • D) Idaho
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An old Oregon Trail Marker along the road

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Missouri

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An image of St. Louis during the evening in Missouri

Source: Wikimedia

2. How long was the Oregon Trail?

  • A) 200 miles
  • B) 500 miles
  • C) 1,000 miles
  • D) 2,000 miles
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A depiction of one cart traveling along the Oregon Trail

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: 2,000 miles

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A map showing the various routes of the Oregon Trail

Source: Wikimedia

3. How did people travel along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) They walked
  • B) They rode horses
  • C) They traveled in wagons
  • D) All of the above
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An image of several carts and numerous horses walking along the Oregon Trail

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: All of the above

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An image of several people traveling along the Oregon Trail on horseback

Source: Wikimedia

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4. One in every ___ died as they traveled along the Oregon Trail.

  • A) Five
  • B) Eight
  • C) 10
  • D) 20
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An image of a man and his cart on the Oregon Trail

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: 10

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An image taken inside of a small cemetery

Source: Freepik

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5. Which disease infected many traveling along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) influenza
  • B) Tuberculosis
  • C) Cholera
  • D) Measles
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An image of an older man lying in a hospital bed

Source: Freepik

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Answer: Cholera

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An older man is pictured lying in a hospital bed

Source: Freepik

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6. How much, on average, did people spend to travel along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) $250
  • B) $500
  • C) $750
  • D) $1,000
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An image of a large amount of American $100 bills

Source: Freepik

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Answer: $1,000 (or around $32,000 in today's money)

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An image of several American bills

Source: Freepik

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7. What did Indigenous Americans do to those traveling along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) Attacked them
  • B) Helped them with directions
  • C) Offered them food
  • D) All of the above
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An image that depicts Native Americans attacking a village

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: All of the above

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An image of Treaty of Penn with Native Americans by Benjamin West.

Source: Wikimedia

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8. Who were the first emigrants to walk the trail?

  • A) James Miller and Mark Law
  • B) Elish Perkins and Ann McKinley
  • C) James Clyman and Charles Preuss
  • D) Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman
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Goodale's Cutoff of the Oregon Trail at Lava Lake

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman

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An image depicting the murder of Rev. Dr. Whitman by a member of the Cayuse tribe

Source: Wikimedia

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9. Typical wagons were around _ feet wide by _ feet long.

  • A) 4, 12
  • B) 4, 13
  • C) 5, 15
  • D) 5, 17
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An image of a wagon parked beside a river on the Oregon Trail

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: 4, 12

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An image of a large wagon used by American settlers

Source: Wikimedia

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10. Which of these religious groups made up a significant portion of those traveling along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) Muslims
  • B) Jews 
  • C) Orthodox Christians
  • D) Latter-day Saints
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AN image of many Muslims praying in a building

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: Latter-day Saints

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An image that depicts several Mormons crossing the plains of Nebraska

Source: Wikimedia

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11. Where did the Oregon Trail end?

  • A) Idaho
  • B) Nebraska
  • C) Wyoming
  • D) Oregon
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Trail Ruts pictured near Guernsey in Wyoming

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: Oregon

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An image showing the start and end of the Oregon Trail

Source: Wikimedia

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12. What was the most famous landmark on the Oregon Trail?

  • A) Council Bluffs
  • B) South Pass
  • C) Westport
  • D) Statue of Liberty
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An image showing off the Council Bluffs at the Lewis and Clark scenic overlook

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: South Pass

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An image taken of the landscape close to the South Pass

Source: Wikimedia

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13. How many people died traveling along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) 5,000
  • B) 10,000
  • C) 20,000
  • D) 40,000
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An image of a small camp outside of Fort Laramie on the Oregon Pass

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: 20,000

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A family is pictured laying flowers at a cemetery

Source: Freepik

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14. How many settlers traveled along the Oregon Trail?

  • A) 100,000
  • B) 200,000
  • C) 300,000
  • D) 400,000
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A picture of several people walking through a field

Source: Freepik

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Answer: 400,000

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An image of a man and a woman hiking along a trail

Source: Wikimedia

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15. The Oregon Trail was one of two main emigrant routes during the 19th century. What was the other?

  • A) Wolfs Trail
  • B) Comanche Trail
  • C) Santa Fe Trail
  • D) Virginia Trail
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A painting depicts a trail that passes between two mountainous peaks

Source: Wikimedia

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Answer: Santa Fe Trail

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An image of a sign referencing the Santa Fe Trail

Source: Wikimedia

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