Some Were Lost Along the Way

Death and danger were no strangers along the Oregon Trail. Diary excerpts, family records, and 1850-1860 census data indicate approximately 1 out of 10 who set off on the Oregon Trail did not survive. Over time, the Oregon Trail earned the reputation as the nation's longest graveyard, with an estimated average of 10-15 deaths per mile, or a gravesite every 300-500 feet.
"'Lost along the way',So easy to say,Tho' each passing left deep sadness within.But the sorrows would soon fade,As Pioneer prayers were prayed,And they knew they'd be together again."