How movement to West happened
Times before 1800, few people knew there was a land beyond the mountains. These mountains to the West of Atlantic seaboard created an obstacle; thus, people could not see the North American continent. There were four routes which the people followed and were also followed by many settlers at the time.
The Wilderness Road is the first path to Kentucky which was followed by thousands of settlers in the late 1700s and early 1800s[1]. This road went through Cumberland Gap, which is a natural opening in the Appalachian mountain. People faced challenges like aggressive hostility from the Native Americans since they were highly suspicious of the White people coming into their hunting land. Also, the legal foundation of the whole endeavour was not supportive. The second road is the National road route to the westward which was needed in the 1800s[2]. This need was made evident the time Ohio turned into a state and no road that was heading there. Thus national road became the first road to go there before the construction of other routes. Another form of transportation was canals in which people and cargo travelled in them. Erie Canal was the first one to be opened in 1825, which became a simple route to North America.
Oregon Trail in the 1840s turned into a significant way to westward for thousands of settlers[3]. This trail was discovered decades earlier by the men who had travelled eastwards. Fort Laramie was another important western outpost which was found along the Oregon Trail. For decades it was a significant landmark, and many immigrants heading to West utilized it. It later turned out into a military outpost. Another major milestone along the Oregon Trail was the South Pass. It was the point where travellers would start descending after a period of climbing in the mountains.
Bibliography
Dant, Sara. Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
[1] Dant, Sara. Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
[2] Dant, Sara. Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
[3] Dant, Sara. Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.