Diary entries, letters, and photos tell the story of thousands of traders, missionaries and settlers who packed up as many of their belongings as they could carry and set out on a 4-6 month trek to Oregon. The origins of the discovery, the hardships that everyone endured or succumbed to, and the transformation of the American landscape are all covered accurately and with multiple viewpoints. The book is a short introduction to the topic, and has a larger typeface that makes for easier reading. There is a mixture of mediums, with a background on every page showing a prairie grass pattern and photos of notepads and cellphones displaying some of the information; this makes it similar to a textbook, but shorter and more colorful. The artwork in the book is all from the era and shows paintings of popular figures and famous landmarks. There are also photos from the period that give greater meaning to the story, and maps that show how long the journey was. ( )