Upon Reaching Oregon Territory
From The Oregon Trail Guide Book, Destination Section
Once you reach the end of your journey, you should go to the nearest large town to establish your land claim. If there are no large towns in the area, simply find an unclaimed tract of land and settle down…As they say, possession is nine-tenths of the law, and if you have settled and worked land that hasn’t yet been claimed by anyone else, you should have little or no trouble legally establishing your claim at a later time. As more and more Americans move into the region, more cities and towns will spring up, further increasing one’s options for economic success. Rest assured in the facts that men and women who are willing to work hard will find their labors richly rewarded, and that you, by going west, are helping to spread American civilization from ocean to ocean across this great continent, building a glorious future for generations to come! [1]
After two to three hours of trailblazing, the player at last reaches Oregon Territory, assuming he doesn’t die first. The game then provides a neat summary of the player’s projected life in Oregon, always one of peaceful business enterprising, and rewards him with a certain number of points reflecting his success on the trail. The inspirational muzak from the game’s first screen floods the speakers again, and the young player is left totally unaware that any problems might arise once in Oregon Territory itself [1]. What were some of these problems?
Issues Ignored
Firstly, settlers coming in on the Oregon Trail claimed their surrounding territory with little regard for those who already inhabited it. They “simply arrived on the scene and started building. If there were Indians or previous settlers on the spot, they were promptly run off under one pretext or another. Lawlessness and thievery dominated the area” [3]. Yet there is no suggestion of violence toward Native Americans in the game. Instead of wondering whether he has any right to the territory upon which he lays claim, the player simply feels that after the tediousness and frustration he has just experienced to cross several thousand miles, he deserves his just reward [1]. The game makes no attempt to reconcile the student's ignorance of the repurcussions of settling in Oregon Territory and the very real issues of conflict which the real settler would undoubetedly encounter.
[1] The Oregon Trail II. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MECC, 1994.
[2] Bigelow, Bill. "On the Road to Cultural Bias: A Critique of The Oregon Trail CD - Rom. Lanugage Arts, Vol 74, Feb 1997.
[3]. Deloria, Vine Jr. Indians of the Pacific Northwest: From the Coming of the White Man to the Present Day. New York: Doubelday, 1997.
