Oregon Trail by the Numbers
Interesting number facts about the Oregon Trail
How many emigrants followed the trails to California, the Pacific Northwest, and Utah?
Probably about 500,000. Perhaps 1 out of every 250 emigrants left some kind of written account.
[Merrill Mattes, Platte River Narratives, p, 5.]
1812-1848: 5,000 to Salt Lake; 10,000 to Oregon; 2,000 to California.
1849: Perhaps as many as 40,000. This includes northsiders and those who failed to register either at Fort Kearny or Fort Laramie.
1850: 65,000 is a defensible figure. This was the most disastrous of the migration years with perhaps 5,000 deaths, mostly caused by cholera.
1851: Less than 10,000.
1852: Probably close to 70,000.
1853: About 35,000.
1854: Some 20,000, with over half going to California and the rest to Utah.
1855: The majority of an estimated 7,000 went to Utah.
1856: An estimated 12,000; two-thirds went to California.
1857: Not more than 6,000, with two-thirds again going to California.
1858: An estimated 7,500.
1859: Perhaps 80,000; 60,000 went to Colorado because of the discovery of gold on Cherry Creek.
1860: On the order of 20,000. This figure is more of an estimate than those for other years.
1861: Less than 10,000.
1862: About 20,000. The increase was caused by the discovery of silver and gold in Montana and in eastern Oregon.
1863: About the same level as 1862.
1864: About 40,000; most went to Montana.
1865: Did not exceed 20,000; most traveled to Colorado and Utah.
1866: 25,000
[Merrill Mattes, Platte River Narratives, pp. 2-5]
How long was the journey from the Missouri "jumping off" place to California or Oregon?
About 2,000 miles.
How long did the trek take, on the average?
Subject to considerable variation because of weather, accidents, etc., on the average a wagon train could expect to be "on the road" 4 1/2 to 5 months.
[Greg Franzwa, folio:Newsletter of the Patrice Press, May 1996.]
Average number of days of travel time to California and to Oregon:
1841-1848: California: 157.7 Oregon: 169.1
1849: California: 131.6 Oregon: 129.0
1850: California: 107.9 Oregon: 125.0
1850-60: California: 112.7 Oregon: 128.5
1841-1860: California: 121.0 Oregon: 139.6
[John Unruh, Jr. The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60, p. 403]
Probably about 500,000. Perhaps 1 out of every 250 emigrants left some kind of written account.
[Merrill Mattes, Platte River Narratives, p, 5.]
1812-1848: 5,000 to Salt Lake; 10,000 to Oregon; 2,000 to California.
1849: Perhaps as many as 40,000. This includes northsiders and those who failed to register either at Fort Kearny or Fort Laramie.
1850: 65,000 is a defensible figure. This was the most disastrous of the migration years with perhaps 5,000 deaths, mostly caused by cholera.
1851: Less than 10,000.
1852: Probably close to 70,000.
1853: About 35,000.
1854: Some 20,000, with over half going to California and the rest to Utah.
1855: The majority of an estimated 7,000 went to Utah.
1856: An estimated 12,000; two-thirds went to California.
1857: Not more than 6,000, with two-thirds again going to California.
1858: An estimated 7,500.
1859: Perhaps 80,000; 60,000 went to Colorado because of the discovery of gold on Cherry Creek.
1860: On the order of 20,000. This figure is more of an estimate than those for other years.
1861: Less than 10,000.
1862: About 20,000. The increase was caused by the discovery of silver and gold in Montana and in eastern Oregon.
1863: About the same level as 1862.
1864: About 40,000; most went to Montana.
1865: Did not exceed 20,000; most traveled to Colorado and Utah.
1866: 25,000
[Merrill Mattes, Platte River Narratives, pp. 2-5]
How long was the journey from the Missouri "jumping off" place to California or Oregon?
About 2,000 miles.
How long did the trek take, on the average?
Subject to considerable variation because of weather, accidents, etc., on the average a wagon train could expect to be "on the road" 4 1/2 to 5 months.
[Greg Franzwa, folio:Newsletter of the Patrice Press, May 1996.]
Average number of days of travel time to California and to Oregon:
1841-1848: California: 157.7 Oregon: 169.1
1849: California: 131.6 Oregon: 129.0
1850: California: 107.9 Oregon: 125.0
1850-60: California: 112.7 Oregon: 128.5
1841-1860: California: 121.0 Oregon: 139.6
[John Unruh, Jr. The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60, p. 403]