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OCTA > The Trails

The Trails

A map of the central and western united states with a red line designating the oregon and california trails and blue circles indicating points of interest along the routes — **Virtual Trail**

Horses pull a covered wagon in front of chimney rock — **Virtual Trail**

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Oregon-California Trails Association

21 hours ago

OCTA E-News for Friday, September 29, 2023 - ... See MoreSee Less

OCTA E-News for Friday, September 29, 2023

mailchi.mp

Not so long ago, thousands of people traveled from the east coast to the west coast on horses and covered wagons looking for gold or land or just a better life.

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 day ago

Many trail travelers saw the elephant and lived to talk about it! ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

2 days ago

In 1835 Medical Doctor and Missionary Marcus Whitman journeyed west and ended up at the Green River Fur Trade Rendezvous outside today’s Pinedale, WY. There he put his medical training to great use in extracting a metal arrowhead from the back of famous mountain man Jim Bridger. Watch this fascinating story told by Clint Gilchrist, Director of the Museum of the Mountain Man. ... See MoreSee Less

Jim Bridger’s Rendezvous Surgery

youtu.be

In 1835 Medical Doctor and Missionary Marcus Whitman journeyed west and ended up at the Green River Fur Trade Rendezvous outside today’s Pinedale, WY. There...

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Oregon-California Trails Association is at Hilton Garden Inn.

2 days ago

Independence, Missouri mayor Rory Rowland kicks off this week's Santa Fe Trail Association symposium. Many OCTA members are in attendance. ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

3 days ago

Thank you to these volunteers!National Public Lands Day-Fernley Sand Swales Clean UpA big thanks to all who came out to the Fernley Swales and helped clean up the last deep sand swales along the California National Historic Trail. BLM had a big turn out of people.👍 It is a great sign of the positive interest that BLM has taken in the Swales. Of course the Desert Pigs 🐖were there to continue their mission of riding the desert of illegal dumping. Many kudos to the Fernley community and surrounding areas for contributing to the preservation of this historical location. The CA-NV Chapter has been involved in preserving, monitoring, and marking the Fernley Swales for over 20 years.! ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

Want to share your love of history? Want to help promote OCTA? It is easy to share OCTA Facebook content with others by following the three steps shown below ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE BEST TRAILS CONTENT -- Follow the OCTA Facebook page using these instructions ... See MoreSee Less

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Oregon-California Trails Association

4 days ago

On April 4, 1913, around 500 people gathered in the small town of Henry, Nebraska to parade down the road about two miles, hike through an alfalfa field and watch the unveiling of the large Oregon Trail Nebraska-Wyoming Boundary Monument. Kylie Louise McCormick addresses the 2023 National Historic Trails Conference with this amusing and insightful story of the struggle between two states to install this impressive monument. ... See MoreSee Less

How difficult is it to install an Oregon Trail Monument?

youtu.be

On April 4, 1913, around 500 people gathered in the small town of Henry, Nebraska to parade down the road about two miles, hike through an alfalfa field and ...

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Oregon-California Trails Association

5 days ago

The grave of an Indiana woman who died in 1862 near La Barge is a stark reminder of the hardships faced by westward-migrating pioneers and is part of a much bigger story about where the Oregon Trail crossed Wyoming.The Lander Cutoff was the first federally funded wagon road built in the West. It begins at Burnt Ranch near the Sweetwater River a few miles south of South Pass and traverses 256 miles across southcentral Wyoming to Fort Hall, Idaho. It crosses Thompson Pass near La Barge in the Wyoming Range and was an alternate route for emigrants that was shorter and avoided Utah’s west desert, which was devoid of grass and water.The gravesite of Elizebeth Mortimer Paul is located a few miles up the La Barge Creek Road on the way to Thompson Pass in a meadow beneath a lone pine tree. She was 32 years old, a mother of eight children and died during childbirth. Her baby, a girl, died a few days later and was buried near Gray’s Lake, Idaho, according to research compiled by historian Robert Kominsky of Kemmerer. Read the rest of the story at the link here. ... See MoreSee Less

Pioneer Gravesite Near La Barge, Wyoming, A Stark Reminder Of The Rugged West

cowboystatedaily.com

Elizebeth Mortimer Paul died 160 years ago at age 32 while giving birth to her eighth child, and now lies in a grave near LaBarge - a symbol of her fierce era.

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Oregon-California Trails Association

1 week ago

Enjoy an interview with Jerry Eichhorst, president of our Idaho Chapter. He was on public radio this morning. ... See MoreSee Less

Preserving the Oregon Trail in Idaho

www.boisestatepublicradio.org

The Oregon Trail snaked through Idaho, bringing thousands of people from east to west and we look at the history of the Trail and how it looks today.

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Featured Products

Bruff's Wake: J. Goldsborough Bruff & the California Gold Rush, by H. L James $24.95
The Oregon Trail Revisited, by Gregory M. Franzwa $24.95
In Pursuit of a Dream (DVD) $20.00
Reading, Writing and Riding Along the Oregon-California Trails (An Educational Activity Book), by William E. Hill $8.95