American History : Pioneers
Make a travel poster. Imagine you are selling covered wagons and want to attract the attention of pioneers. Or, imagine you are selling land out west and want to convince people to move out west.
Research the following pioneers and pioneer trails:
Daniel Boone
Oregon Trail
Santa Fe Trail (mark the dates of these two famous trails on the timeline and make a map of each one)
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Write about the pioneers. Why did they settle in a new land? What were their occupations? What foods did they grow and eat? What was their life expectancy? What were their houses like? What clothing did they wear? How did they travel? What dangers were there? What was their entertainment? What did they read? How were the children educated? How did they govern themselves? How large were their communities? How close were neighbors? How much slower was travel then? What were the modes of transportation? What were the roads like then? How did weather affect travel? How did travelers cross rivers?
Picture Study : The Oregon Trail by Albert Bierstadt.
Research and write about men and women associated with the Pioneer movement: Daniel Boone
John Fremont
Mike Fink
Jim Bridger
Kit Carson
Davy Crockett
Johnny Appleseed
Noah Webster
Mary Jemison
Jedediah Smith
