Oregon Trail
Preserved but no longer current.
This was the old American trans- continental route from Independence, Mis- souri, to The Dalles, on Columbia River, Oregon, a distance of some 2,000 miles. The loute was principally used by immigrants to the North-west from the Southern states. It was originally blazed by trappers and the Lewis and Clarke Expedition, and crossed the Rockies at South Pass.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Oregon Trail” mean?
This was the old American trans- continental route from Independence, Mis- souri, to The Dalles, on Columbia River, Oregon, a distance of some 2,000 miles. The loute was principally used by immigrants to the North-west from the Southern states. It was originally blazed by trappers and the Lewis and Clarke Expedition, and crossed the Rockies at South Pass.
Is “Oregon Trail” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.