The Oregon Trail War with Mexico California Gold Rush Pages Workbook 79

The Oregon Country 1834 – Christian missionaries journeyed to the Oregon Country to set up missions and teach Christianity to the Indians. The Oregon Country was made up of present-day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming.

The Oregon Dream Missionaries sent letters to people back East telling about the green valleys, wooded hills, and fertile soil of the Oregon Country. Many people began to dream of living in this part of the country.

The Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail led northwest more than 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City in Oregon. The Pioneers traveled across the Continental Divide, an imaginary line that runs north and south along the highest points of the Rocky Mountains.

The Journey West The average trip lasted about six months. Fresh water was scarce. Sudden storms soaked travelers. Wagons broke down. Rivers had to be crossed. Many died along the way. Settlements quickly grew.

President James K. Polk President Polk was the second President from the state of Tennessee. ( ) He signed a treaty with Britain establishing the boundary between British Canada and the United States. (Oregon Country) The treaty gave the U.S. the lands that are now Oregon, Washington, Idaho, western Montana, and Wyoming.

President James K. Polk President Polk believed in Manifest Destiny. He thought all the lands west of Texas should be part of the United States. Ownership of these lands were in question between the U.S. and Mexico.

Trouble with Mexico President Polk sent soldiers into lands in southern Texas that were disputed between the U.S. and Mexico. Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and attacked an American patrol. Polk asked Congress to declare war on Mexico.

War with Mexico – The United States invaded Mexico by sea led by General Winfield Scott. The Treaty of Guadalupe ended the war in The United States purchased California, and the land that makes up Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming for $15 million.

California Gold Rush In 1848 gold was found near Sacramento, California. Workers at Sutters Mill were building a waterwheel when gold was spotted in the water. More than 80,000 gold seekers came to California in They were called the forty-niners.

Sutters Mill