Essay on Westward Expansion in the U.S.

As western expansion becomes more prevalent in America with events such as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and Texas Annexation in 1845, land in California starts opening up to people.  Land in California starts looking profitable for people with the promise of cheap and quick acquisition.  Additionally, rumors of the presence of gold start circling around among the California/Oregon area, which essentially sparks and boosts the area’s economic potential.  On a first come first serve basis, land is being offered by the Donners to the public to settle in.  A total of 87 people congregated to make up the Donner-Reed party in 1846, including emigrants of various backgrounds.  However, once the journey started, the weather situations were less than ideal and started to take a toll on the travelers.  The weather caused the Donners to fail because it slowed their pace and depleted their resources/animals.  

The travelers process to pack up several hundred wagons and make their way out to voyage across middle America.  Oxen, also referred to as cattle, are obtained and used to pull these wagons due to their strength and stamina.  Several pounds of food were packed in each wagon to sustain the travelers, along with ammunition for hunting if the conditions allowed it.  They make a plan to travel along Hasting’s Cutoff, thanks to the information provided in the book they read, called “The Emigrant’s Guide to Oregon and California”, by Lasfrod Hastings.  The people that were able and willing to take on the journey were gathered together and essentially conglomerated in Springfield Illinois.  George Donner and James Reed stepped up to take leadership positions during the journey.