In the early 1840s, the United States, Canada, and Great Britain each claimed territories in Oregon. Waves of American settlers began moving west for the open space and a chance to start anew. Between 1843 and 1847, more than 11,000 Americans traveled to Oregon in wagon trains. The Homestead Act of 1862 drove more western migration by granting homesteaders 160 acres of land in exchange for cultivating it. The western territories were fertile, and farmers who settled reaped tremendous rewards from planting crops, though they struggled with the loneliness of their isolation from others.

Discussion questions offer students an opportunity to explore the varied experiences of westward migration and settlement. A follow-up activity allows students take on the role of either a Cayuse native or a member of a white missionary family to participate in a modified restorative justice activity.