Oregon Trail Opens: 1843 Migration Westward
Seven hundred emigrants pushed their wagons through Oregon's Blue Mountains, defying Hudson's Bay Company agents who urged them to abandon their vehicles. Marcus Whitman led this bold charge, proving settlers could clear a path where others saw only impassable timber. Their arrival established the first continuous wagon trail from Missouri to The Dalles, paving the way for 2,000 miles of settlement by 1846.
May 22, 1843
183 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 22
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