Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism and suicide.

The year 1849, when this novel takes place, was a key moment in American social and historical history. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803—the United States’ acquisition of the territory of Louisiana—and the Land Act of 1820—which made public land available to purchase—had opened up vast amounts of new territory for immigrants and pioneers who were interested in moving West and obtaining new farmland. The beaver fur trade was beginning to die down, leaving adventurers and fortune seekers looking for their next opportunity. This came in 1848, when gold was discovered in California. The Gold Rush of 1849 led up to 30,000 men, women, and children to join the pioneers on the Oregon/California trail that year alone (“The Forty Niners”. The Library of Congress, n.d.). An estimated 300-500,000 people crossed by land between the years 1841 and 1884 in a journey that could take up to six months (“Basic Facts About the Oregon Trail.” National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, n.d.). As many as one in 10 emigrants died along the trail (“Life and Death on the Oregon Trail.