American West - Anything and everything you want to know about the American West from pioneers to transportation to cowboys and outlaws.

 

 

Commerce of the Prairies by Josiah A. Gregg - Josiah Gregg published his books in 1844 and 1855.  This is his account of his journey along the Santa Fe Trail.  You can read about the history of the Santa Fe trade, the Native Americans he encountered, clothing in New Mexico, and more.

 

End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center - Click on Oregon Trail 101 for answers to questions about who went on the trail and why, what was the relationship with Native Americans, and what occupations did the settlers have.  You can also find out what supplies cost, what a Prairie schooner looked like and information about the pioneers.

Food of 19th Century America 1800-1900 - A student created ThinkQuest site where you can learn more about the type of food eaten by pioneers. Recipes are also included.

Gold Rush - Learn all about the Gold Rush from Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher, creators of The Gold Rush documentary for PBS.

 

Heritage Gateways  - The Heritage Gateways is an educational project from the Utah State Office of Education, the BYU-Public School Partnership and the Utah Education Network.  The site features historical diaries, excerpts from published books, articles, commentaries, maps and video clips all reflecting the life and times of those early pioneers.  

 

Historic Crafts & Skills - T he Missouri Department of Conservation provides information on the historical background, food, clothing, shelter of the early settlers.

 
HistoryBuff.com -- History Library -- Pony Express
A simple explanation of the Pony Express by Steve Goldman.
 
Life As a Pioneer - Traveling West - Find out about pioneer homes, farming, why 
people moved West and read a pioneer’s journal from the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area.
 
Life in a Sodhouse - The National Museum of American History site explains the history of 
sodhouses along with information on pioneer life and how the sod house was built.
 
Life of Early Pioneers - Dr. Richard S. Hartley has written about the shelter, clothing, and food of 
the pioneers.
 
Log Cabin - FactMonster.com provides an article from the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia on the log cabin.
 
Log Cabins American Frontier Homes - Jackie Craven, About.com’s expert on 
architecture,  explains the history of the log cabin and provides links to additional information. Make 
sure you click on her log cabin facts link.
 
log cabin: Information from Answers.com - An illustration and information on 
the log cabin from a variety of information sources.
 
Mountain Men and the Fur Trade - Learn about the history, traditions, tools, and mode of living, 
of the trappers, explorers, and traders known as the Mountain Men. Make 
sure to click on the Virtual Museum.
 
Nebraskastudies.org - Find out about African American settlers, building a sod house, 
hazards, life on the plains, pioneer children and more.
 
New Perspectives On The West - This site is based on Ken Burns and Stephen 
Ives program on The West for PBS.  You can find out about the people, places, 
and events of the West.
 
Not For Ourselves Alone. A Day In The Life - PBS KIDS GO! lets you get 
a look at what life was like for a pioneer girl in 1860 and a Native American boy in 1855.
 
 
NPS Historical Handbook: Whitman Mission - This handbook gives an easy to 
read account of the Marcus and Narcissa Whitman’s journey along the Oregon Trail and what their life was like at the their mission.  
There are chapters on the Cayusa, the Native Americans of the area and on the mission’s children. 
 
Oregon Trail - Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher, creators of The Oregon Trail, the award-winning  documentary film
 which aired nationally on PBS, offer a website where you can read a mini textbook about the Trail, learn about the historic sites 
along the Trail and find out fantastic facts.
 
Oregon Trail - A student developed ThinkQuest site.with information on the pioneers, the route, hardships, and supplies. 
 
Oregon-California Trails Association - You can find out about trail stories, emigrants, and landmarks. 
Click on Trail Facts for fascinating information about life on the Trail and on Virtual Trail to take a trip on
 the Oregon Trail.
 
The Overland Trail - Elizabeth Larson provides numerous links to information on the trails, people, places, 
along with information on transportation and shelter.
 
Pioneer Clothing - Detailed information on pioneer clothing from the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Teacher Packet
published by the National Park Service.
 

Pioneer Life - A personal web page with lots of photographs and illustrations to explain thevarious aspects of pioneer life 
from business to church to homes and family.

 
Pioneer Life in Sacramento - Jump Back In Time America’s Story from the Library of Congress explains pioneer 
life in Sacramento, California in 1849.
 
Pioneer Tidbits - Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Renee Rusler of the National Park Service provides 
a list of very interesting facts about the pioneers on the Oregon Trail ranging from the colors the wagons were painted to what 
women wore on the journey to how children were taken care of on the trip.  Check out the links at the bottom of the page 
for links to additional information on the Oregon Trail, the fur trade and the Native Americans of the area.
 
Pioneers - A student created ThinkQuest site where you can find out about how the pioneers traveled,what they ate, 
and what they did when they reached their destination.
 
Pony Express Home Station - A comprehensive site with information on the riders,  the history of the trail, 
museums, stations, statues, facts and a quiz about the Pony Express. 
 
Research - American West Photographs - The National Archives’ collection of photographs of 
the American West from 1861-1912.
 
Santa Fe National Historic Trail - This National Park Service site gives the history  and culture of the 
Santa Fe Trail.
 
Shelter on the Western Frontier - Information on log cabins, sod houses, root cellars,
and homesteads from Elizabeth Larsen's The Overland Trail site. 
 
Story of Markham-Pioneer Kids - find out about the clothing, education, and farm and community life 
of pioneer children in Markham, Ontario, Canada at this site from the Markham Public Libraries.
 
The Sod House - This pamphlet from the Nebraska State Historical Society has information and drawings of 
sod houses.
 
WayBack . Gold Rush . Journey of the Forty-niners - PBS Kids WayBack page 
on the Gold Rush features information on the Oregon Trail, the Gold Rush, and the Californios.
 
Westward Expansion - The Educational Technology Training Center at Kennesaw State University offers 
numerous links to information about the American West.
 
 
 
 
These sites have been selected for their relevance to the
sixth grade social studies curriculum.  These choices are consistent with
the selection policies of the library, and with the print and non-print
materials available there.  Each site has been seen by the librarian
and has been screened by the school's Internet filtering software. 
However, the library, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and the Board of
Education are not responsible for the content of these sites, which is
subject to frequent change, nor for the content of any other sites to which
these sites may be linked.