7 - The Oregon Trail - Crossword Labs

2. The place where most travelers started their long journey and followed the Santa Fe Trail.
3. A group of rugged adobe buildings where pioneers could mail letters and buy supplies.
5. This doctor was in charge of operations at British Fort Vancouver and helped many travelers toward the end of their journey west.
9. This territory (now a state) was the ultimate goal travelers on the trail hoped to reach for land and opportunity.
11. A place with "geysers" and "bubbles" where travelers added sugar and syrup to the mineral water.
13. Over 5,000 of these were "chiseled, scratched, or painted" onto Independence Rock by travelers using wagon grease and gunpowder.
14. The original name of Fort Laramie.
15. The flat state where the Platte River is "a mile wide, yet only a few feet deep."
16. The huge mountain range that splits North America in half, creating the "continental divide" and a nasty barrier for travelers.
18. The fur trader who was left behind by his friends and died at the foot of a famous bluff where his skeleton remained.
19. A narrow gap in the rocks that wagons couldn't pass through, and according to legend, was ripped open by an evil spirit with large tusks.
20. The state where the water was "poisoned with alkali," making it dangerous for oxen to drink.

1. A 425-foot tall landmark that looked like a "big sweet potato hill" with a pile of rocks on top.
4. Travelers followed this old trail for the first 40 miles before branching off toward the path to Oregon.
6. Alternate route cleared in 1846 that allowed travelers to bypass the dangerous river rapids for $5.
7. large rock formation that reminded pioneers of the government buildings in their hometowns.
8. The river with the dangerous "Dalles" rapids, which many pioneers braved on makeshift rivercraft.
10. The final destination for most Oregon Trail pioneers, known for its fertile soil and new beginnings.
12. Travelers got their first view of the Blue Mountains from this river.
17. The river where pioneers finally found "potable" (drinkable and safe) water after traveling through the desert.