Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By 1840, the demand for beaver pelts had bottomed out, leaving little incentive for
mountain men in the region. The population temporarily swelled with pioneers headed west
on the Oregon Trail, including the Applegate Wagon Train, the largest ever assembled,
which brought more than 875 people and 5,000 animals through the state in 1843. Conflicts
with Native Americans were inevitable as white settlers encroached on traditional hunting
