By the 1840s, Americans were again on the move. In 1848, miners found gold in California. Americans caught gold fever.
They headed west, hoping to get rich quick. Very few did. But many went back east and told their friends about the unsettled country they’d seen. Some pioneers wanted fortunes in lumber, fur, or precious metals. Others hoped for better health in the mild Pacific Coast climate. People came west for many reasons. From the 1840s to the 1860s, more than 300,000 people crossed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to reach the Pacific Coast. They took a route called the Oregon Trail. Their covered wagons became known as prairie schooners, or ships of the plains. That’s because the wind blew their canvas tops in and out like a ship’s sails. Before pioneers began the 2,000-mile journey, they had to buy a wagon. They also had to pack it full of supplies. Then they had to join a wagon train.