The Oregon Trail was laid by fur trappers and traders from about 1811-1840. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho. From the year to mid-1830s and onward, the Oregon Trail were used by about 400,000 settlers, ranchers, farmers, miners, businessmen, and their families. The route west war arduous and with many dangers, but the number of lives lost on the trail is unknown. Factors like disease, drowning, scurvy, and Native American attacks took untold numbers of lives over those decades.
This memorial coin was struck in commemoration of the Oregon Trail and in memory of the pioneers, many of whom lie buried along the infamous trail, never having made it west. This silver half dollar features a “wagon” side, and an “Indian” side. The wagon side depicts a Conestoga wagon drawn by two oxen heading into an extremely large sun set, with resplendent rays. The “Indian” side features a dramatically rendered Native American, standing erect with outstretched arm in what can be described as a gesture of peace.
This coin is a certified 63.