TITLE: NEVADA TRILOGY
AUTHOR: Sandy Kellogg, Churchill Co. Jr. High School,
Fallon, Nev.
GRADE LEVEL: Junior High - Nevada History or U.S. History
westward expansion
OVERVIEW: After watching the video "Gone West." The students
will reminisce with early emigrant parties and make some of
the same decisions they were faced with in travels westward.
PURPOSE: To give students a greater appreciation of what
accomplishments and hardships the early emigrant parties
were faced with and went through. To give a better
understanding of the geographical region of the Great Basin
while gaining an insight on what a trip like that might have
been like.
OBJECTIVES: The learner will demonstrate the ability to:
1. Make decisions that will effect his/her party as they
cross this country moving west, choosing 1 of 5
emigrant parties that will be given to them.
2. Form lists of what provisions will be needed on the
long trip; food, clothing, ammunition, spare wagon
parts.
3. Decide the route to be taken, choose a departure date,
estimating traveling 15 miles a day determine length of
time the party will be on the trail. Take in to
account the terrain, weather, feed & water for the
animals.
4. Draw and label a map showing the route that they intend
to take from St. Lewis to their arrival in the
Sacramento Valley.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Pen, pencil, colored pencils, drawing paper, a good
imagination.
The wagon dimension 4'x 10', load limit 15,000 pounds.
Mules, sure footed most expensive (cadillac)
Horses, pull wagon faster (ford or chevy)
Oxen, slowest, walk along beside wagon (economy what
most people could afford) Early wagons had no
breaks.
Oxen drink 20 - 30 gallons of water a day. Eight oxen
pulling wagon. 8 pounds per gallon of water.
Weights of various staple foods will need to be
researched (flour, sugar, coffee, corn meal etc.)
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: Groups of 4 to 6 students.
1. Choose one of the emigrant parties:
The Stevens/Townsend Party
The Lansford Hasting
The Bidwell/Bartleson Party
The Donner Party
The Edwin Bryant Party
2. Choose amongst group a trail boss - taskmaster.
A scribe to record and note their decisions.
A banker to do the mathematics, expenditures, figure
out how much supplies the wagon will carry,
distance traveled, dates etc.
A voice monitor, and a scout - keep group aware of
when project needs to be completed & voices down
to a roar.
A cartographer to draw the route they will take,
label & mark mountains, rivers, points of
interest.
A reporter - will give presentation to the class.
3. As a group draw up a list of the provisions the group
will need to take on their westward movement. Those
items that are essential are to be highlighted.
4. Each group will submit:
* a departure and expected arrival date, and
location.
* a list of rules and regulations the party will
follow on the trail, signed by all party
members
* a list of provisions to be loaded in the wagon
* a map showing route the party will be taking
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Students present to the class the route they choose to take
and why. Rules they agreed to travel and live by. A list
of essential provisions. Describe at least three specific
problems the group encountered and how they responded to
them.
Go to the computer room and play Oregon Trail. This is a
computerized game of the activity they just completed,
except the game forces them to make additional decisions,
such as food rations, pace they will travel, ways to cross
rivers, family members will contract various illnesses.
Family members will die along the way. Forts along the way
will give emigrants an opportunity to buy supplies other
options will be to go hunting. Many students will not make
it to Oregon, but will have a lot of fun trying.
REFERENCES:
The Prairie Traveler: A handbook for Overland
Expeditions. Marcy, Randolph.
Fearful Crossing: The Central Overland Trail Through
Nevada. Curran, Harold.
The Nevada Adventure. Hulse, James W.
Click here to return to OFCN's Academy Curricular Exchange
Click here to return to OFCN's Academy
Click here to return to OFCN's Main Menu
John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org