Journeys West

Congratulations! You chose the role of the Pioneer Family.

Step One:
Begin your research by reading the passage titled "Pioneers: Taking the Trail West", pages 30-35 from Liberty for All? (A History of Us Book 5) by Joy Hakim. While reading, write down key words on the Information Gathering worksheet to search the American Memory collections.

What were the motivations of the Pioneers who traveled west? What conditions did Pioneers encounter as they journeyed west? How did the conditions encountered influence their decisions? What were the conflicts between the Pioneers and the native people they encountered? How did policies of the U.S. government influence westward migration?

Road from Missouri to Oregon

Wagon Train

Millions of Acres

Step Three:
Try searching the collections using the following Information Gathering worksheet.

• Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters, 1682-1912

• Pioneering the Upper Mid West: Books from Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, ca.1820-1910

• The Northern Great Plains

• Maps Collections: 1544-2003

Step Four:
Using information from your research, write a realistic letter to a family member convincing them to journey west and establish a homestead. Edit and revise your letter according to the writing rubric.

Step Five:
All the Pioneers will chronicle a journey west for the Pioneer Museum. Your combined exhibition must include a journal, map, timeline, broadside and at least one additional artifact. Study the project guidelines and then decide among your group which project you will contribute.

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