Why did Americans migrate to Oregon in the early 1800s?
The answer to this question depends largely on what you mean by the “early 1800s.” There were two main motivations for American movement into the Oregon Country. Some of this movement happened in the first decade or two of the 18th century while the next wave began late in the...
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1830s and then really boomed in the 1840s. Either of these waves of movement could be dated to the “early 1800s.”
The first wave of American movement into Oregon was very small. This was a movement that was caused by the desire to participate in the fur trade. By 1811, for example, the Pacific Fur Company had started to build Fort Astoria as a trading post at which it could obtain furs. Americans who went to Oregon during this time were largely interested in participating in this trade.
In the late 1830s and early 1840s, many more Americans started to move to Oregon. This was the era of the famous Oregon Trail. These settlers were motivated by a desire for land, not by a desire for furs. They were not going to Oregon to trade but rather to set up their own new homes. They had heard that Oregon (in particular the Willamette Valley) was very fertile and had good weather. They wanted to set up farms in that area, thus giving themselves the chance to become wealthier and more independent than they had been farther east.
Thus, the first (smaller) group of Americans came to Oregon for furs while the second (bigger) group came to settle on the lush farmland of region.
What motivated settlers to migrate to Oregon Country?
Oregon Country, roughly composed of the present-day states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, was jointly occupied from 1818 by the United States and Britain. This settlement of the legal status of the region led to an influx of settlers into the area. Though settlers were motivated by different purposes, one principal aspect for migration was access to farmland.
Fertile and free farmland in the Willamette Valley drew a large number of American settlers who had previously subsisted on marginal lands in Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana. Settlement by farmers was promoted, in part, by the U.S. government which hoped to legitimize its claims to the territory through the influx of a large number of American citizens, and by the 1840s, Americans outnumbered Britons in the Oregon Country.
Other motivations for settlement were the rich fur trade and missionary evangelism.
What motivated settlers to migrate to Oregon Country?
There were several reasons why settlers went to the Oregon Country. One reason people went was for a spirit of adventure. Some people enjoyed exploring new lands and facing the challenges of settling in an area that was undeveloped. This experience gave them a sense of accomplishment and excitement, especially if they were successful in moving to a new place where few people had gone in the past.
In the early 1800s, people went to the Oregon Country to try to make money. People reported that there was a lucrative fur trade in the area. They wanted to get involved in the trading of furs, hopefully profiting from it.
Other people went to the Oregon Country to claim land. They wanted to own land, and there was land was available in the Oregon Country. They also wanted to farm the land. The Willamette Valley was a fertile area for farming.
Some people went to this area for religious reasons. They wanted to convert people to Christianity.
There were many reasons why people went to the Oregon Country in the first half of the 1800s.