Major Westward Migration Trails in the 19th Century

The Trails That Opened the American West

Five primary overland routes carried hundreds of thousands of settlers, traders, and migrants westward:

• The Oregon Trail: Midwest to the Pacific Northwest; used by ~200,000 people (1840–1860), mostly farming families.
• The Santa Fe Trail: Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico; a major trade route for American and Mexican merchants.
• The California Trail: Midwest to California; surged during the 1849 Gold Rush (~300,000 migrants).
• The Mormon Trail: Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley (Utah); used by Latter-day Saints fleeing persecution.
• The Texas Trail: Southeast U.S. to the Republic of Texas; carried Southern settlers into Texas.

These trails shaped the demographic and economic landscape of the western United States.