New ways to travel lesson

American Indians knew the land well so they showed the Europeans around

The only form of travel during this time was their feet and boats

Finally, explorers from Spain brought horses to North America

Now they had their feet, boats, and horses

Horses made traveling easier and faster

Many people wanted to explore the west

Meriwhether Lewis and William Clark were hired to explore the land west of the Mississippi River

It took two years for Lewis and Clark to complete their trip

Lewis and Clark started in St. Louis and ended in Oregon City

Their stories made people want to move because of the huge open spaces and chance to get land to farm

Rivers were an important way to carry heavy goods

Sometimes rivers were too narrow or too fast for boats

Canals were built to make it safer for boats to get through

The Erie Canal helped connect the Great Lakes to New York City

New York City became an important port for trading and receiving goods

A port is a town or city that has a place for boats to land

Another form of transportation was covered wagons pulled by horses

Many people traveled to the west in wagon trains

Wagon trains is a group of covered wagons that travels together for safety

Congress built the National Road to make traveling easier, it started in Maryland and ended in Illinois

When the National Road came to an end, people would hop on to the Oregon Trail, which started in Independence, Missouri and ended in Oregon

This route took about 6 months to complete

A faster and safer way to travel was still needed