Editing Oregon Trail (section)

==Statistics==
Overall, some 268,000 pioneers used the Oregon Trail and its three primary offshoots, the [[Bozeman Trail|Bozeman]], [[California Trail|California]], and [[Mormon Trail]]s, to reach the West Coast, 1840–1860. Another 48,000 headed to Utah. There is no estimate on how many used it to return East.<ref>{{cite book |author = Unruh |title = The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants and the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840–1860 |date = 1992 |pages = 119–120 }}</ref>

===Emigrants===
{| class=" wiki table float right" 
|+ Estimated California Oregon Mormon Trail Emigrants<ref name="Unruh: page 119–120"/>
|-
! Year
! Oregon
! California
! Utah
! Total
|-
! 1834–39
| 20
| −
| −
| 20
|-
! 1840
| 13
| −
| −
| 13
|-
! 1841
| 24
| 34
| −
| 58
|-
! 1842
| 125
| −
| −
| 125
|-
! 1843
| 875
| 38
| −
| 913
|-
! 1844
| 1,475
| 53
| −
| 1,528
|-
! 1845
| 2,500
| 260
| −
| 2,760
|-
! 1846
| 1,200
| 1,500
| −
| 2,700
|-
! 1847
| 4,000
| 450
| 2,200
| 6,650
|-
! 1848
| 1,300
| 400
| 2,400
| 4,100
|-
! Total
! 11,512
! 2,735
! 4,600
! 18,847
|-
! 1849
| 450
| 25,000
| 1,500
| 26,950
|-
! 1850
| 6,000
| 44,000
| 2,500
| 52,500
|-
! 1851
| 3,600
| 1,100
| 1,500
| 6,200
|-
! 1852
| 10,000
| 50,000
| 10,000
| 70,000
|-
! 1853
| 7,500
| 20,000
| 8,000
| 35,500
|-
! 1854
| 6,000
| 12,000
| 3,200
| 21,200
|-
! 1855
| 500
| 1,500
| 4,700
| 6,700
|-
! 1856
| 1,000
| 8,000
| 2,400
| 11,400
|-
! 1857
| 1,500
| 4,000
| 1,300
| 6,800
|-
! 1858
| 1,500
| 6,000
| 150
| 7,650
|-
! 1859
| 2,000
| 17,000
| 1,400
| 20,400
|-
! 1860
| 1,500
| 9,000
| 1,600
| 12,100
|-
! Total
! 53,000
! 200,300
! 43,000
! 296,300
|-
! 1834–60
! Oregon
! California
! Utah<ref name="lds.org">Mormon Pioneer Companies [https://web.archive.org/web/20031204041015/http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanylist-chronological/0,15765,3968-1,00.html] Retrieved April 11, 2009</ref>
! Total<ref>Mattes, Merril J.; ''The Great Platte River Road''; p. 23; Nebraska State Historical Society; 1979: {{ISBN|978-0-686-26254-1}}</ref>
|-
! 1861
| −
| −
| 3,148
| 5,000
|-
! 1862
| −
| −
| 5,244
| 5,000
|-
! 1863
| −
| −
| 4,760
| 10,000
|-
! 1864
| −
| −
| 2,626
| 10,000
|-
! 1865
| −
| −
| 690
| 20,000
|-
! 1866
| −
| −
| 3,299
| 25,000
|-
! 1867
| −
| −
| 700
| 25,000
|-
! 1868
| −
| −
| 4,285
| 25,000
|-
! Total
! 80,000
! 250,000
! 70,000
! 400,000
|-
! 1834–67
! Oregon
! California
! Utah
! Total
|}

Some of the trail statistics for the early years were recorded by the U.S. Army at [[Fort Laramie, Wyoming]], from about 1849 to 1855. None of these original statistical records have been found—the Army either lost them or destroyed them. Only some partial written copies of the Army records and notes recorded in several diaries have survived.

Emigration to California spiked considerably with the 1849 gold rush. Following the discovery of gold, California remained the destination of choice for most emigrants on the trail up to 1860, with almost 200,000 people traveling there between 1849 and 1860.

Travel diminished after 1860, as the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] caused considerable disruptions on the trail. Many of the people on the trail in 1861–1863 were fleeing the war and its attendant drafts in both the South and the North. Trail historian Merrill J. Mattes<ref>Mattes, Merrill J.; op. cit.; p. 23</ref> has estimated the number of emigrants for 1861–1867 given in the total column of the above table. But these estimates may well be low since they only amount to an extra 125,000 people, and the 1870 census shows that over 200,000 additional people (ignoring most of the population increase in California, which had excellent sea and rail connections across Panama by then) showed up in all the states served by the Bozeman, California, Mormon, and Oregon Trails and their offshoots.

Mormon emigration records after 1860 are reasonably accurate, as newspapers and other accounts in Salt Lake City give most of the names of emigrants arriving each year from 1847 to 1868.<ref name="lds.org"/> Gold and silver strikes in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon caused a considerable increase in people using the trails, often in directions different from the original trail users.

Though the numbers are significant in the context of the times, far more people chose to remain at home in the 31 states. Between 1840 and 1860, the population of the United States rose by 14&nbsp; million, yet only about 300,000 decided to make the trip. Many were discouraged by the cost, effort, and danger of the trip. Western scout Kit Carson is thought to have said, "The cowards never started and the weak died on the way", though the general saying was written{{when|reason=Isn't this statement meant to establish the primacy of the source, based on an earlier date?|date=March 2015}} by [[Joaquin Miller]], in reference to the California gold rush.<ref name="The Californian: Old Californians">{{cite journal |journal = The Californian |title = Old Californians|editor = A. Roman |page =48|author= [[Joaquin Miller]] |date = January 1881 |volume = III |publisher = The California Publishing Company |location = San Francisco |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=i0lMAAAAMAAJ |quote = The cowards did not start to the Pacific Coast in the old days; all the weak died on the way. And so it was that we had then not only a race of giants but of gods. |access-date = March 9, 2015 }}</ref> According to several sources, 3 to 10&nbsp; percent of the emigrants are estimated to have perished on the way west.<ref>Lloyd W. Coffman, 1993, ''Blazing a Wagon Trail to Oregon''</ref>

Many who went were between the ages of 12 and 24. Between 1860 and 1870, the U.S. population increased by seven million; about 350,000 of this increase was in the Western states.

===Western census data===
{| class=" wiki table float left"
|+ Census Population of western States<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1870a-03.pdf |title = U.S. Census 1790–1870 |access-date = May 20, 2012 }}</ref>
|-
! State
! 1860
! 1870
! Difference
|-
! California
| 379,994
| 560,247
| 180,253
|-
! Nevada
| 6,857
| 42,491
| 35,634
|-
! Oregon
| 52,465
| 90,923
| 38,458
|-
! Colorado<ref name="territories">Territory</ref>
| 34,277
| 39,684
| 5,407
|-
! Idaho<ref name="territories" />
| −
| 14,990
| 14,990
|-
! Montana<ref name="territories" />
| −
| 20,595
| 20,595
|-
! Utah<ref name="territories" />
| 40,273
| 86,789
| 46,516
|-
! Washington<ref name="territories" />
| 11,594
| 23,955
| 12,361
|-
! Wyoming<ref name="territories" />
| −
| 9,118
| 9,118
|-
! Totals
! 525,460
! 888,792
! 363,332
|}

These census numbers show a 363,000 population increase in the western states and territories between 1860 and 1870. Some of this increase is because of a high birth rate in the western states and territories, but most is from emigrants moving from the east to the west and new immigration from Europe. Much of the increase in California and Oregon was from emigration by ship, as there was fast and reasonably low-cost transportation via East and West Coast steamships and the Panama Railroad after 1855. The census numbers imply at least 200,000 emigrants (or more) used some variation of the California/Oregon/Mormon/Bozeman Trails to get to their new homes between 1860 and 1870.

===Costs===
The cost of traveling over the Oregon Trail and its extensions varied from nothing to a few hundred dollars per person. Women seldom went alone. The cheapest way was to hire one to help drive the wagons or herds, allowing one to make the trip for nearly nothing or even make a small profit. Those with capital could often buy livestock in the [[Midwest]] and drive the stock to California or Oregon for profit. About 60 to 80&nbsp; percent of the travelers were farmers and as such already owned a wagon, livestock team, and many of the necessary supplies. This lowered the cost of the trip to about $50 per person for food and other items. Families planned the trip for months and made much of the extra clothing and many other items needed. Individuals buying most of the needed items would end up spending between $150–200 per person.<ref>{{cite book |last = Dary |first = David |title = The Oregon Trail an American Saga |publisher = Alfred P. Knopf |location = New York |year = 2004 |pages = [https://archive.org/details/oregontrailameri00dary/page/272 272–275] |isbn = 978-0-375-41399-5 |url = https://archive.org/details/oregontrailameri00dary/page/272 }}</ref> As the trail matured, additional costs for ferries and toll roads were thought to have been about $30 per wagon.{{sfnp|Unruh|1993|p=408}}

===Deaths===
{| class=" wiki table float left"
|+ Oregon-California-Mormon Trail Deaths<ref name=unruh1993-408-410,516>{{harvp|Unruh|1993|pp= 408–410, 516|ps=.}}</ref>
|-
! Cause
! Estimated deaths
|-
| Disease
| 6,000–12,500
|-
| Battling with Native Americans
| 3,000–4,500
|-
| Freezing
| 300–500
|-
| [[Scurvy]]
| 300–500
|-
| Run overs
| 200–500
|-
| Drownings
| 200–500
|-
| Shootings
| 200–500
|-
| Miscellaneous
| 200–500
|-
|-
! Totals
! 10,400–20,000
|}

The route west was arduous and fraught with many dangers, but the number of deaths on the trail is not known with any precision; there are only widely varying estimates. Estimating is difficult because of the common practice of burying people in unmarked graves that were intentionally disguised to avoid being dug up by animals or natives. Graves were often put in the middle of a trail and then run over by the livestock to make them difficult to find. Disease was the main killer of trail travelers; [[cholera]] killed up to 3 percent of all travelers in the epidemic years from 1849 to 1855.

Native attacks increased significantly after 1860, when most of the army troops were withdrawn, and miners and ranchers began fanning out all over the country, often encroaching on Native American territory. Increased attacks along the Humboldt led to most travelers taking the [[Central Nevada Route]]. The Goodall cutoff, developed in Idaho in 1862, kept Oregon-bound travelers away from much of the native trouble nearer the [[Snake River]]. Other trails were developed that traveled further along the [[South Platte]] to avoid local Native American hot spots.

Other common causes of death included [[hypothermia]], drowning in river crossings, getting run over by wagons, and accidental gun deaths. Later, more family groups started traveling, and many more bridges and ferries were being put in, so fording a dangerous river became much less common and dangerous. Surprisingly few people were taught to swim in this era. Being run over was a major cause of death, despite the wagons' only averaging 2–3 miles per hour. The wagons could not easily be stopped, and people, particularly children, were often trying to get on and off the wagons while they were moving—not always successfully. Another hazard was a dress getting caught in the wheels and pulling the person under. Accidental shootings declined significantly after Fort Laramie, as people became more familiar with their weapons and often just left them in their wagons. Carrying around a ten-pound rifle all day soon became tedious and usually unnecessary, as the perceived threat of natives faded and hunting opportunities receded.

A significant number of travelers were suffering from [[scurvy]] by the end of their trips. Their typical flour and salted pork/bacon diet had very little [[vitamin C]] in it. The diet in the mining camps was also typically low in fresh vegetables and fruit, which indirectly led to the early deaths of many of the inhabitants. Some believe that scurvy deaths may have rivaled cholera as a killer, with most deaths occurring after the victim reached California.<ref>Steele, Volney M.D. ''Bleed, Blister, and Purge: A History of Medicine on the American Frontier''. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2005. pp. 115, 116. {{ISBN|978-0-87842-505-1}}</ref>

Miscellaneous deaths included deaths by [[Maternal death|childbirth]], falling trees, flash floods, [[homicides]], kicks by animals, lightning strikes, snake bites, and [[stampede]]s. According to an evaluation by John Unruh,<ref name=unruh1993-408-410,516 /> a 4 percent death rate or 16,000 out of 400,000 total pioneers on all trails may have died on the trail.

Reaching the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] before the start of the winter storms was critical for the successful completion of a trip. The most famous failure in that regard was that of the [[Donner Party]], whose members struggled to traverse what is today called [[Donner Pass]], in November 1846. When the last survivor was rescued in April 1847, 33 men, women, and children had died at [[Donner Lake]]; with some of the 48 survivors confessing to having resorted to [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] to survive.{{sfnp|Peters|1996|pp=102–109}}

===Disease===
Disease was the biggest killer on the Oregon Trail. [[Cholera]] was responsible for taking many lives.<ref>{{cite book |last = Rosenburg |first = Charles |title = The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849 and 1866 |location = Chicago |year = 1987 |isbn = 978-0226726779 }}</ref> As a [[fecal-oral]] disease, it commonly resulted from consuming food or water contaminated by the bacterium.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Waldor |first1 = Matthew |last2 = Ryan |first2 = Edward |title = Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases |chapter = Vibrio Cholerae |publisher = Saunders |year = 2011 |pages = 2471–2479 }}</ref> Because a dead traveler would often be buried at the site of death, nearby streams could easily be contaminated by the dead body.<ref>{{cite journal |title = Reminiscences of Experience on the Oregon Trail in 1844 |journal = The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society |volume = 2 |issue = 3 |pages = 209–254 |first = John |last = Minto |year = 1901 |jstor = 20609503 }}</ref> Other common diseases along the trail included [[dysentery]], an intestinal infection that causes diarrhea containing blood or mucus,<ref>{{Cite journal |volume = 47 |issue = 5 |pages = 333–335 |pmc = 1752697 |year = 1937 |pmid = 18744287 |title = Dysentery |journal = California and Western Medicine }}</ref> and [[typhoid fever]], another fecal-oral disease.<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Barnett |first = Richard |title = Typhoid Fever |journal = The Lancet |volume = 388 |issue = 10059 |pages = 2467 |doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(16)32178-X |pmid = 28328460 |year = 2016 |s2cid = 205984562 }}</ref>

Airborne diseases also commonly affect travelers. One such disease was [[diphtheria]], to which young children were particularly susceptible.<ref>{{cite journal |title = To End an Epidemic Lessons from the History of Diphtheria |first = Lawrence |last = Kleinman |journal = The New England Journal of Medicine |year = 1992 |volume = 326 |issue = 11 |pages = 773–777 |doi = 10.1056/NEJM199203123261118 |pmid = 1738395 }}</ref> It could spread quickly in close quarters, such as the parties that traveled the trail.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Diptheria &#91; sic&#93;|journal=Diptheria: Its Origin and Cure|volume=39|pages=32|id={{ProQuest|136627001}}}}</ref>  [[Measles]] was also a difficulty, as it is highly contagious and can have an [[incubation period]] of ten days or longer.<ref>{{cite book | last = Gershone | first = Anne | title =Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases | chapter = Measles Virus (Rubeola) | publisher = Saunders | year = 2011 | pages = 1967–1973}}</ref> Diseases could spread particularly quickly because settlers had no place to [[quarantine]] the sick and because poor sanitation was typical along the route.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/index.html |title = Influenza (Flu) |website = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |date = October 26, 2018 }}</ref>