Migration Trails
Could you tell me where to find the trails the pioneers took to reach California? I would like to have an idea how my ancestors wound up in Illinois.

Norma
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Dear Norma,

This is a great question and one that I see quite often. There are a number of resources that may be of interest to you. Ancestry has a good collection of maps in the Map Center (http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/
reference/maps/main.asp) that show various trails. Some of the more notable maps in the collection include:

U.S. Westward Migration, 1775-1860
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=299
Exploration and Settlement Before 1675
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=641
Exploration and Settlement 1675-1800
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=643
Exploration and Settlement 1800-1820
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=644
Exploration and Settlement 1820-1835
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=645
Exploration and Settlement 1835-1850
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=647
Exploration and Settlement 1850-1890
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=648
U.S. Main Post Roads, 1804
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=556
U.S. Main Post Roads, 1834
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=557
U.S. Railroads in Operation, December 1840
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=550
U.S. Railroads in the East, 1827-1850
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=417
U.S. Railroads in the West, 1827-1850
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=419
Routes between Fort Laramie and the Great Salt Lake
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/
maps/freeimages.asp?ImageID=729

There are also some great organizations and Web sites dedicated to migration patterns within the U.S. and the various trails westward. Here are a few of my favorites:

The first two have a wealth of historical information on the trails west and include maps, stories, pioneer diaries, photos, and more. They are definitely worth a look, even if you don't have ancestors who followed these trails.

Oregon-California Trails Association
National Frontier Trails Center
318 W. Pacific (location)
P.O. Box 1019 (mail)
Independence, MO 64051-0519
Tel: 816-252-2276
Fax: 816-836-0989
E-mail: octahqts@gvi.net
http://www.octa-trails.org/

The Overland Trail
http://www.over-land.com/index.html

American Migrations Web Site
http://members.aol.com/gedsearch/migrate.htm
This project records the names and migrations of individuals and groups. Visitors can browse the database and/or submit records.

For a more comprehensive list of links see the 12/03/1998 Ancestry Daily News article, "Go West, Young Man" at:
http://www.ancestry.com/learn
(Note: This article is over a year old and some of the Web sites may have new addresses or may be no longer available.)