15 Vintage Photos of the Oregon Trail

Written by Rachel Schneider on updated
A covered wagon sits on green grass in front of a large rocky butte under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Shrubs and small trees grow near the base of the butte.

No, not the computer game, guys. There aren’t any dysentery deaths shown in these photos. Instead, these old snapshots depict the gritty, raw travels of the folks who hit the Oregon Trail when it was hot (between the 1840s and 1860s). From resting outside their covered wagons to oxen and horses in peak form, these photos shed light on one of America’s most legendary routes.

1. Lunchtime by the Wagon

A black-and-white photo of a covered wagon beside two horses, with a woman in a bonnet and dress handing something to a seated man in front of the wagon in a grassy field.
UserDeleted / Reddit.com

2. A Family Photo Before Heading Off on the Oregon Trail

A sepia-toned vintage photograph shows nine people, including men, women, and a girl, dressed in formal 19th-century attire, posed in two rows in front of an ornate backdrop.
Imgur

3. Enthusiastic Pioneers

A black-and-white photo shows a woman standing in front of a covered wagon, arms crossed, with a man and a young child sitting on the ground nearby. They appear outdoors in a rural setting.
UserDeleted / Reddit.com

4. Meeting People on the Trail

A black-and-white historical photo of men, women, and children in pioneer or western attire posing around and atop a large wooden stagecoach in a rural outdoor setting.
Flickr

5. Time for a Rest

A sepia-toned photo shows a group of women and children sitting and standing in front of two covered wagons in an open field, with mountains in the background. The group appears to be from the 19th or early 20th century.
clu / istockphoto

6. Ox Team Days on the Oregon Trail

A black-and-white photo of a mining facility with several industrial buildings, tall smokestacks emitting smoke, and railroad tracks in a hilly, rural landscape. Sparse vegetation covers the surrounding area.
Internet Archive Book Images / Wikimedia Commons

7. What a View

A covered wagon pulled by a horse travels along a dirt path in a rugged, hilly landscape. A person in a hat walks beside the horse, with rocky cliffs and grassy terrain in the background.
Wikimedia Commons

8. The Deep-Worn Trail

A rough, dirt road runs through a barren landscape dotted with low shrubs, leading toward distant mountains under a cloudy sky.
Joseph Schafer / Wikimedia Commons

9. The Ox Team Ready To Go

A vintage photo shows two oxen harnessed to a covered wagon with people and a dog inside. Several men stand nearby, and buildings are visible in the background, beneath leafy trees.
Internet Archive Book Images / Wikimedia Commons

10. Cheyenne, an Oregon Trail Town

Black and white photo of a small 19th-century town with wooden houses, fenced yards, and dirt roads. The buildings are spaced apart, and two people stand near a white fence in the foreground.
Wikimedia Commons

11. Covered Wagon Centennial and Ox-Team Days in 1931

A man in a suit and hat stands beside a vintage car with a covered wagon attachment. The wagon cover reads "OVER THE OLD OREGON TRAIL." Trees are visible in the background.
Wikimedia Commons

12. Checking Out the Rock Formation

A covered wagon and a person with a horse stand on a grassy path, with a dramatic rock formation and large clouds in the background under a bright sky.
Wikimedia Commons

13. Old Oregon Trail Days, 1921

A black-and-white photo of two oxen hitched to a wooden wagon in a grassy field. A man stands beside the wagon. Trees and two tipi tents are visible in the background.
U.S. Forest Service / Wikimedia Commons

14. Oregon Trail Reenactment in 1934

A line of covered wagons pulled by horses travels through a grassy plain, with rocky formations visible in the background under a clear sky.
Wikimedia Commons

15. End of the Oregon Trail

A black and white photo shows a crowd of people gathered around an ox-drawn covered wagon. Children and adults stand nearby, with a large rock and a dog visible in the foreground. Trees and hills are in the background.
John B. Horner / Wikimedia Commons

Want more of a glimpse into pioneer life?

For more covered wagons and sod houses, be sure to read These 16 Vintage Photos Show What Pioneer Life Was Really Like and 19 Vintage Photos of Early Homesteaders. And for a look into a time before American pioneers, check out Life, Land, and Legacy: 20 Vintage Photos of Native American Life.