Starting in the early 1840s, whispers of a new territory rich with opportunity were beginning to reach the ears of those living in the east. Its name was Oregon, and it promised a fresh start for whomever dared make the journey west. It was the start of a mass exodus. Brave settlers craving better lives took their fates into their own hands, packed what they could into covered wagons, and left their old lives behind. They knew what they sought would be dangerous to obtain, and that many would not survive. But they were determined to fulfill their dreams, or to die trying.