History of The Pioneers

Learn about Overland Trails using Online Video

Use these 6 online educational video titles to examine the development of the overland trails and learn what it was like to travel through the untamed American West. Learn why the Great Plains presented a barrier to westward expansion. Discover the experiences of a covered wagon pioneer. Identify some of the landmarks that guided travelers west. Discover the reasons many Americans set out on westward trails during the early nineteenth century. Explore how the pioneers and U.S. government protected westward travelers. Locate and identify the trails used by the pioneers.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain why the Great Plains presented a barrier to westward expansion.
• Describe the experiences of a covered wagon pioneer.
• Identify some of the landmarks that guided travellers west.
• Discuss the influence of the railroads on western expansion and on the trail drivers.
• Locate and identify the trails used by the pioneers.

• History > American Pioneering Experience > Covered Wagons And Westward Expansion
• Pioneers and the Great Plains (Runtime: 03:27)
• The Santa Fe Trail (Runtime: 04:29)
• Life on the Santa Fe Trail (Runtime: 04:52)
• Wagons West (Runtime: 04:36)
• Caravan Life (Runtime: 04:35)
• The Mormon Trail and Other Routes West (Runtime: 02:42)