The Oregon Trail served as a passageway for early settlers who were trekking to the Pacific Northwest in the 19th century. Settlers, farmers, ranchers, miners and businessmen traveled the trail, often with their families as American pioneers began to settle the West. Today, travelers tend to drive along the Oregon Trail as they learn about American history. They enjoy the same stunning nature and beautiful views that the original pioneers saw while learning about their nation's history. Hikers need a good travel brochure before they start out on their trek.
Review available information about the Oregon Trail. Find information on the Internet or at libraries. Provide a historical overview of the Oregon Trail that includes the goals of the pioneers, along with their challenges and struggles that they faced. Also, write about the Oregon Trail from the standpoint of the Native Americans who lived in the area. When settlers began to travel to the West, Native Americans were helpful. But as time went on, their lands began to fill up with settlers, and relations worsened between the two groups.
Map out the route of the original Oregon Trail in the brochure. The Oregon Trail began in Independence, Missouri, and ended in Oregon City, Oregon. In between, the travelers passed through Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho. Note special information about each landmark. Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff served as the one-third marker of the journey for travelers. Fort Laramie provided safety during western travels. After restocking supplies at Fort Bridger, travelers heading to Utah broke off to travel the Mormon Trail. Snake River Valley was the turnoff for settlers heading toward Oregon and Washington while others turned south to Nevada, Arizona and California.
Include information from the U.S. National Park Service, which, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, state and local governments, citizen organizations and private individuals, has collected information about the historic sites along the Oregon Trail (nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/sites.htm).
Include information about the Oregon Trail's nature, climate and ecosystem. Local organizations such as the 40MileLoop (40mileloop.org/resources.htm), 1StarDrive (1stardrive.com/wildhorseacres/trail.shtml) and the U.S. Department of Interior (blm.gov/wy/st/en/resources/Environmental_Education.html) provide information about the environmental aspects of the Oregon Trail.
Provide an auto route for individuals who wish to drive the Oregon Trail. The National Parks Service has mapped out an auto route (nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/auto_or.htm), which allows travelers to retrace the Oregon Trail.
Prepare all text files in Word documents. Collect high-resolution pictures of the Oregon Trail for the brochure. Photograph the sites of the Oregon Trail for the brochure or acquire them from a stock photo company (photos.com) that sells photos of sites along the Oregon Trail.
Hire a graphic artist to create the design for the brochure. Locate a graphic artist through Internet sites of local graphic designers or graphic design studios, or through word of mouth. Send the graphic artist the text and photos, and work with him or her to design the brochure as desired. Place the map as a foldout in the brochure's center for maximum assistance to people planning to explore the Oregon Trail. Ask the graphic artist to turn the final brochure computer file into a PDF file.
Send the PDF file to a printer for printing. Work with the printer on the layout of the brochure. Decide how many brochures to print. Economically, printing a large number of brochures will cost less per brochure than a smaller number, but base the decision on the number of brochures needed.
