“There Was Nothing in Sight but Nature, Nothing.”: Nineteenth-Century Gendered Perceptions of the Overland Trail

One hundred and seventeen years ago, between 1841 and 1867, the Overland Trail saw approximately 350,000 Oregon and California bound North Americans traverse its landscape. This westward migration painted the American frontier with a white sea of wagon covers, spotted the grassy plains with brown pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Savadelis, Andrea J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College 2010
Subjects:
Overland Trailer
North Americans
gender-specific roles
social standards
masculinity
femininity
History
Social History
Women's History
Women's Studies
Grassy Plains
White Sea
Online Access:https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/ghj/vol9/iss1/3
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=ghj
Description
Summary:One hundred and seventeen years ago, between 1841 and 1867, the Overland Trail saw approximately 350,000 Oregon and California bound North Americans traverse its landscape. This westward migration painted the American frontier with a white sea of wagon covers, spotted the grassy plains with brown patches of oxen herds, and lighted the night sky with open cooking fires. Men and women Overlanders experienced this life-changing event in different ways, which are crucial to understanding the dynamics and interaction between these people and their frontier context. Gender-specific roles and social standards of masculinity and femininity carried from emigrants’ previous lives influenced their perception of the Overland Trail, interaction with the environment, and their future on the western frontier. These influences affected the settlers throughout the entire journey, beginning with their decision for such a move.

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