American Migration Routes
Historical journeys of individuals seeking new opportunities or refuge
The earliest thoroughfares in North America were pathways created by buffalo and deer during their seasonal migrations in search of feeding grounds and salt licks. Before hunting drastically reduced their numbers, up to 50 million buffalo roamed the Great Plains in vast herds. Many of these migration routes were first established by the relentless pounding of countless buffalo hooves. These animals instinctively followed watersheds and ridge crests, avoiding summer mud and winter snowdrifts.
The buffalo also shaped the geography of the midwestern grasslands by creating expanses of short-clipped grass. These areas prevented forests from growing and provided habitats for prairie dogs and other plains wildlife.
Native Americans initially used buffalo trails to reach hunting grounds and for warrior paths. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, hunters and later settlers adopted these trails to traverse the southern Appalachian Mountains, finding easier routes and access to salt springs. In the 19th century, traders used these paths to cross the plains, while settlers followed them south along the Mississippi River, reaching the Southeast and Texas. Typically, buffalo trails ran north to south, with the renowned Natchez Trace being a notable example. Some critical east-west trails, like those through the Cumberland Gap, along the New York watershed, across the Allegheny divide to the Ohio headwaters, and through the Blue Ridge Mountains, became essential routes. These trails played a significant role in shaping the patterns of American settlement and commerce.
Researching American migration routes involves examining the historical paths, such as trails and roads, used by settlers and indigenous peoples to move across the continent, highlighting patterns of settlement, cultural interactions, and economic development.
Wagon Roads
American wagon roads played a pivotal role as essential routes for transportation and migration across the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Stagecoach Routes
American stagecoach routes were vital arteries of travel and commerce during the 19th century, connecting towns and cities across the expanding United States.
Post Roads
Post roads were foundational to the early infrastructure of the United States, supporting not only postal services but also broader efforts in transportation and connectivity across the nation.
"We have been traveling among the hills and the monotony has been relieved by the ever varying beauty of the scenery and the pleasantness of the weather. Today we traveled till noon, and then stopped to get a fourth of July dinner and to celebrate our nation's birthday.
While making the preparation, and reflecting at the same time of what the people of Morton and Peoria were doing, and contrasting my situation with what it was this day last year, a storm arose, blew over all the tents but two, capsized our stove with it delicious viands, set one wagon on fire, and for a while produced not a little confusion in the camp. No serious injury, however, was done."
-Elizabeth Wood, July 4, 1851