covered wagonA wagon with a cloth top stretched over hoops. Many travelers used a plain farm wagon with a cover added.
emigrantA person who leaves home to settle elsewhere. The trip of 1843, with as many as 1,000 emigrants, is called the Great Migration.
ferryA raft or boat that takes loads over a river. In time, ferries and bridges made the river crossings of the trail safer.
fordA shallow spot where a river can be waded. A ford may be too deep to cross when the water is high.
landmarkA sight seen from far off and used as a guide. Chimney Rock and Independence Rock were landmarks of the trail.
Oregon TrailThe overland road emigrants took to the Northwest. It ran about 2,000 miles, from Missouri to Oregon.
oxA strong farm animal used in a team to haul loads. Oxen are usually adult male cattle.
pioneerSomeone who goes first into a land new to them. By 1846 thousands of pioneers had reached Oregon Country.
prairie schoonerA nickname for a covered wagon. It was lighter than the big Conestoga freight wagon.
trading postA place where goods are bought, sold or swapped. Fort Hall began in 1834 as a post for trading furs.
wagon rutsTracks worn into the ground by wagon wheels. Near Guernsey, Wyoming, wheels wore ruts two to six feet deep into sandstone.
yokeThe neck frame that harnesses two oxen side by side. A pair of oxen is also called a yoke of oxen.
Show all 36 terms (24 more)
Places along the way 12
Blue MountainsA mountain range in northeastern Oregon. Settlers cut a road for wagons through the forest there in 1843.
Chimney RockA tall spire of rock in western Nebraska. It rises more than 300 feet above the valley of the North Platte River.
Columbia RiverThe river on the border of Oregon and Washington. Until 1846, wagons were taken apart at The Dalles and floated down it.
Continental DivideThe ridge that sends rivers toward different oceans. West of it, rivers run to the Pacific Ocean.
Fort LaramieA trading post, later an army fort, in Wyoming. It stood where the Laramie River meets the North Platte.
Great PlainsThe broad, flat grassland east of the Rockies. The eastern part of the trail crossed the plains of Kansas and Nebraska.
IndependenceA Missouri town where wagon trains gathered. It was a starting point of the Oregon, California and Santa Fe trails.
Independence RockA granite rock where travelers carved names. It stands in Wyoming and is about 130 feet high.
Platte RiverA wide, shallow river across Nebraska. Its valley gave the wagons a level way west, with water and grass.
Snake RiverThe largest river that flows into the Columbia. It crosses the plain of southern Idaho.
South PassA wide, gentle gap through the Rocky Mountains. The Oregon, California and Mormon trails all crossed the Rockies there.
Willamette ValleyThe valley in Oregon where the trail ended. The end of the trail, Oregon City, is on the Willamette River.
Supplies and the West 12
axleThe shaft at the center of a turning wheel. On a wagon, each axle joins two wheels.
buffalo chipsDried bison dung, burned as fuel. On the plains they were gathered to fuel the fire.
canvasStrong, heavy cloth used for wagon tops and tents. Canvas is also used for sails.
fur tradeTrading in the pelts of animals. Fur traders and trappers laid out the trail between about 1811 and 1840.
hardtackA tough plain biscuit that keeps without spoiling. It is made of flour and water.
homesteadA house and farmland settled by a family. A law of 1850 was meant to bring homesteads to Oregon Territory.
migrationThe movement of people to a new home far away. About 400,000 people used the Oregon Trail and its branches.
mountain manAn explorer who made a living by trapping animals. Mountain men helped open the routes that became the emigrant trails.
Oregon CountryThe Northwest region that two nations once claimed. A treaty of 1846 with Britain settled who held it.
prairieOpen country covered in grass, not forest. Much of the Great Plains is covered in prairie.
provisionsFood and supplies packed for a long trip. One guidebook told each adult to take 200 pounds of flour.
territoryA region with a government but without statehood. Oregon was a territory from 1848 until it became a state in 1859.
How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-11. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the English Wikipedia article on the term (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: Oregon Trail, American pioneer, Emigration, Covered wagon, Conestoga wagon, Ox, Yoke, Ford (crossing), Ferry, Landmark, Trading post, Fort Hall, Oregon Trail Ruts, Independence (Missouri), Great Plains, Platte River, Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Independence Rock, South Pass (Wyoming), Continental Divide of the Americas, Snake River, Blue Mountains (Pacific Northwest), Columbia River, Willamette Valley, Oregon City (Oregon), Hardtack, Canvas, Axle, Prairie, Mountain man, North American fur trade, Donation Land Claim Act, Oregon Territory and Oregon Country. Pioneer, emigrant, prairie schooner, yoke, provisions, buffalo chip, migration, homestead and territory were checked against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), under the same license. The history in the meanings and the facts was checked a second time against the pages History and Culture and Frequently Asked Questions of the Oregon National Historic Trail and History and Culture of Fort Laramie National Historic Site, published by the National Park Service (https://www.nps.gov/oreg/). The fact after each meaning is in our own words. Licence: own work
How it works
This Oregon Trail 5th grade worksheet is a free printable matching sheet, with no map to label: twelve terms of the trail down the left, their meanings in another order down the right, and an answer key as the last page.
Read the full guide
Places along the way
In Set, the second sheet follows the trail west: Independence, Great Plains, Platte River, Chimney Rock, Fort Laramie, Independence Rock, South Pass, Continental Divide, Snake River, Blue Mountains, Columbia River and Willamette Valley.
Supplies and the West
The third has provisions, hardtack, buffalo chips, canvas, axle, prairie, mountain man, fur trade, migration, homestead, territory and Oregon Country. Under the tool each term has a fact from the history, checked against pages of the National Park Service.
These sheets are vocabulary only: they do not tell what the trail cost the Native nations whose lands it crossed.
Questions and answers
How long was the Oregon Trail?
About 2,000 miles from east to west. The National Park Service gives about 2,250 miles for the official trail, a figure that takes in all of the alternate routes.
Where did the Oregon Trail start and end?
It began at Independence and other towns on the Missouri River and ended at Oregon City, in the Willamette Valley. On the way it crossed what are now Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho.
Are there Oregon Trail worksheets for 4th grade and 5th grade?
The sheets name no grade. On the trail has the plainest words, such as pioneer, ford and ferry. Places along the way and Supplies and the West go on to Continental Divide, territory and Oregon Country.