The trail that carried emigrants from Missouri to Oregon in the 1840s was the Oregon Trail.
The route began near communities along the Missouri River and crossed the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest. Emigrants commonly traveled in wagon trains, although the journey required difficult river crossings, mountain passes, and long stretches without reliable supplies.
The trail became especially important after the United States promoted settlement in the Oregon Country. Oregon City, near the Willamette River, served as a major destination for many travelers. The journey from Missouri often took four to six months.
The Oregon Trail is sometimes confused with the California Trail and the Mormon Trail because sections shared the same eastern route. They diverged farther west toward different destinations. Native peoples, whose homelands the emigrants crossed, were central to the region’s history but were often omitted from older popular accounts.