The Oregon Trail (series)

Series of educational computer games

"Oregon Trail (game)" redirects here. For the board game, see Oregon Trail (board game). For the card game, see The Oregon Trail (card game).

Video game series

The Oregon Trail

Genre(s)| Edutainment
Developer(s)| MECC
Publisher(s)| Broderbund
The Learning Company
Gameloft
Creator(s)| Don Rawitsch
Bill Heinemann
Paul Dillenberger
First release| The Oregon Trail
December 3, 1971
Latest release| The Oregon Trail
April 2, 2021
Spin-offs| The Amazon Trail
The Yukon Trail
MayaQuest: The Mystery Trail
Africa Trail

The Oregon Trail is a series of strategy computer games. The first game was originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971 and produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) in 1974. The original game was designed to teach eighth grade schoolchildren about the realities of 19th-century pioneer life on the Oregon Trail. The player assumes the role of a wagon leader guiding a party of settlers from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon's Willamette Valley via a covered wagon in 1848.

## History

[edit]

### Precedent version

[edit]

In 1971, Don Rawitsch, a senior at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, taught an eighth grade history class as a student teacher.[1][2] Rawitsch recruited two friends and fellow student teachers, Paul Dillenberger and Bill Heinemann, to help with his student-teaching project.[3] Bill Heinemann used HP Time-Shared BASIC running on an HP 2100 minicomputer to write the original computer program.[4]

The original core gameplay concepts that have been included in every subsequent version are initial supply purchase, occasional food hunting, occasional supply purchase at forts, inventory management of supplies, variable travel speed depending upon conditions, frequent misfortunes, and game over upon death or successfully reaching Oregon.[5] The game that would be later named The Oregon Trail was debuted to Rawitsch's class on December 3, 1971. Although the minicomputer's teleprinter and paper tape terminals that predate display screens were awkward to children, the game was immediately popular, and he made it available to users of the minicomputer time-sharing network owned by Minneapolis Public Schools. When the next semester ended, Rawitsch printed out a copy of the source code and deleted it from the minicomputer.[5][3]

### MECC

[edit]

In 1974, the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC), a state-funded organization that developed educational software for the classroom, hired Rawitsch. He retyped the game from a printout of the 1971 BASIC code into the organization's time-sharing network. Then, he modified the frequency and details of the random events that occurred in the game, to more accurately reflect the accounts he had read in the historical diaries of people who had traveled the trail. In 1975, when his updates were finished, he made the game titled OREGON available to all the schools on the timeshare network. The game became one of the network's most popular programs, with thousands of players monthly.[5][3][6]

Rawitsch published the source code of The Oregon Trail, written in BASIC 3.1 for the CDC Cyber 70/73-26, in the Creative Computing May–June 1978 issue[7] That year, MECC began encouraging schools to adopt the Apple II microcomputer.[3] John Cook adapted the game for the Apple II, and it appeared on A.P.P.L.E.'s PDS Disk series No. 108. A further version called Oregon Trail 2 was adapted in June 1978 by J.P. O'Malley. The game was further released as part of MECC's Elementary series, on Elementary Volume 6 in 1980. The game was titled simply Oregon, and featured minimal graphics. It proved so popular that it was re-made under the same title, with substantially improved graphics and expanded gameplay, in 1985. The new version was also updated to more accurately reflect the real Oregon Trail, incorporating notable geographic landmarks as well as human non-player characters with whom the player can interact.[8]

By 1995, The Oregon Trail generated about one-third of MECC's $30 million in annual revenue.[9] An updated version, Oregon Trail Deluxe, was released for DOS and Macintosh in 1992, as well as Windows in 1993 (under the title of simply The Oregon Trail version 1.2)[10] followed by Oregon Trail II in 1995,[3] The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition in 1997,[11] and 4th[12] and 5th editions.[13] As of 2011, more than 65 million copies of The Oregon Trail have been sold.[3]

### Games

[edit]

Games in the series were released with varying titles.

The Oregon Trail games  Title  | Year  | Developer  | Publisher  | Platform

|
|
|
|

The Oregon Trail | 1971  | Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger  | Not published  | HP 2100
OREGON | 1975  | Modified by Don Rawitsch  | MECC (on timeshare system)  | CDC Cyber 70, HP2000
OREGON | 1978  | John Cook (ported from timeshare version)  | MECC (as download)  | Apple II
OREGON (part of Elementary Volume 6) | 1980  | Unchanged from 1978 version  | MECC (on floppy disk)  | Apple II
Oregon (part of Expeditions) | 1983  | MECC (ported from 1980 Apple II version)  | MECC  | Atari 8-bit
Oregon (part of Expeditions) | 1984  | MECC (ported from 1980 Apple II version)  | MECC  | Commodore 64, Radio Shack TRS-80
The Oregon Trail | 1985  | R. Philip Bouchard (designer), MECC  | MECC  | Apple II
The Oregon Trail | 1990  | MECC (remake of 1985 Apple II version)  | MECC  | DOS
The Oregon Trail | 1991  | MECC  | MECC  | Macintosh (B&W)
The Oregon Trail Deluxe | 1992  | MECC (ported from 1991 Macintosh version)  | MECC  | DOS (with mouse support)
The Oregon Trail | 1993  | MECC (port of The Oregon Trail Deluxe)  | MECC  | Windows 3.x, Windows
Oregon Trail II | 1995  | Wayne Studer (designer), MECC  | SoftKey | DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows, Macintosh
The Oregon Trail 3rd Edition | 1997  | The Learning Company | The Learning Company | Windows, Macintosh
The Oregon Trail 4th Edition | 1999  | The Learning Company  | The Learning Company  | Windows, Macintosh
The Oregon Trail 5th Edition | 2001  | The Learning Company  | The Learning Company  | Windows, Macintosh
The Oregon Trail | 2009  | Gameloft Shanghai, Gameloft New York  | Gameloft | DSiware
The Oregon Trail: Gold Rush | 2010  | Gameloft  | Gameloft  | J2ME
The Oregon Trail HD[14] | 2010  | Gameloft  | Gameloft  | Windows Phone, Android, iOS
The Oregon Trail: American Settler | 2011  | Gameloft  | Gameloft  | iOS, J2ME
The Oregon Trail | 2011  | DoubleTapGames LLC  | Crave Entertainment | Wii, 3DS
The Oregon Trail Card Game[15] | 2016  | Pressman Toy Corporation | Pressman Toy Corporation  | Card game
The Oregon Trail[16][17] | 2018  | Basic Fun! (ported from 1990 DOS version)  | Basic Fun!  | Handheld device
The Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valley[18] | 2018  | Pressman Toy Corporation  | Pressman Toy Corporation  | Board game
The Oregon Trail: StepTracker | 2022  | Gameloft  | Gameloft  | Apple Watch
The Oregon Trail | 2021  | Gameloft  | Apple | Apple Arcade
2022  | Gameloft  | Nintendo Switch,[19] Windows
2023  | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2024  | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

## Legacy

[edit]

The game was popular among American elementary school students from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, as many computers came bundled with the game. MECC followed up on the success of The Oregon Trail with similar titles such as The Yukon Trail and The Amazon Trail.[20] David H. Ahl published Westward Ho!, set on the Oregon Trail in 1848, as a type-in game in 1986.[21]

The phrase "You have died of dysentery" has been popularized on T-shirts.[3] The game resurfaced in 2008 when Gameloft created an updated version for cell phones.[22][23][3] A new release for the iPhone and iPod Touch was also available from Gameloft.[24] The game went live in the iTunes App Store in March 2009.[25]

In 2010, the Palm webOS version was released to the Palm App Catalog on January 7, and Xbox Live version was released on Windows Phone 7 on November 11. The cell phone version of the game is similar to the original, but varies in that the player can choose one of three different wagons: a basic wagon, a prairie schooner or a Conestoga wagon. The player can also choose to become a banker, a carpenter, or a farmer, each of which has unique benefits. Unlike the computer version of the game, players in the iPhone and iPod Touch version do not need to buy guns and bullets. The game has received a major update, in which the player uses trading and crafting to upgrade their wagon, buy food, and cure ailments.[citation needed]

In 2011, the 1975 and 1978 BASIC source code versions of the game were reconstructed.[26] In February 2011, a new version of the game was released on the social networking site Facebook.[27] This version was removed from Facebook when Blue Fang Games closed.[28] A new version of the game was also released for the Wii and 3DS that year, and received a negative critical response.[29]

In 2012, a parody called Organ Trail was released by the Men Who Wear Many Hats for browsers, iOS, and Android, with the setting changed to human survivors fleeing a zombie apocalypse.[30] Also in 2012, the Willamette Heritage Center (WHC) and the Statesman Journal newspaper in Salem, Oregon created Oregon Trail Live as a live-action event.[31]

In 2014, a parody musical called The Trail to Oregon! was made by the musical theater company StarKid Productions, with several references being made towards the game.[32] In 2015, a 5k fun run held in Oregon City (the end of the route of the Oregon Trail) was modeled after the game with choice points along the route.[33] Also that year, Pressman Toy Corporation released The Oregon Trail card game based on the video game.[34] In 2018, a handheld electronic version of the game was produced by the company Basic Fun. This battery-powered version featured a small TV monitor that replicated the look and sounds of one of the older PC/Apple versions of the game. In 2024, an app called OG Trail brought the ability to play the original The Oregon Trail to Android again.[35]

## Film adaptation

[edit]

In October 2022, filmmakers Will Speck and Josh Gordon announced a musical comedy film adaptation based on the game, with Pasek and Paul writing original songs for the film.[36][37] In October 2024, Apple Studios acquired the rights to the film, with a script co-written by the Lucas brothers, and Max Reisman.[38] The film will be produced by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon.[39]

## Native Americans

[edit]

Because the theme of the game is the colonization of the American West, some Native American critics have viewed the game as culturally insensitive or racist. The 2021 version of the game for Apple Arcade attempts to "better depict Native American perspectives" and to acknowledge that for Native Americans, colonization "was not an adventure but an invasion". Newer versions of the game offer new Native American characters and storylines. Oregon Trail creative director Jarrad Trudgen consulted with several Native American scholars in an attempt to remove stereotypes and historical inaccuracies.[40][41]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lipinski, Jed (July 29, 2013). "The Legend of The Oregon Trail". mental_floss. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
2. ^ Shea, Jeremy (February 24, 2014). "An Interview With the Teacher-Turned-Developer Behind 'Oregon Trail'". Yester: Then For Now. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Lussenhop, Jessica (January 19, 2011). "Oregon Trail: How three Minnesotans forged its path". City Pages.
4. ^ Veeneman, Dan. "Hewlett-Packard HP 2000 Time Shared BASIC". Retrieved April 22, 2011.
5. ^ a b c Bouchard, R. Philip (June 29, 2017). "How I Managed to Design the Most Successful Educational Computer Game of All Time". The Philipendium. Medium. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
6. ^ Grosvenor, Emily (September 25, 2014). "Going West: The World of Live Action, Competitive Oregon Trail". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
7. ^ Rawitsch, Dan (May–June 1978). "Oregon Trail". Creative Computing. pp. 132–139. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
8. ^ Bouchard, R. Philip (July 23, 2017). "You Have Died of Dysentery: Exploring The Oregon Trail's Design History". format.com. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
9. ^ Interview with Dale Lafrenz. Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (accessed July 1, 2012)
10. ^ Oregon Trail Game Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ The Oregon Trail: 3rd Edition for Windows (1997) – MobyGames
12. ^ Amazon.com: Oregon Trail 4th Edition: Software
13. ^ Amazon.com: The Oregon Trail, 5th Edition: Software
14. ^ Jordan, Jon (November 27, 2010). "Gameloft primes five HD games for Windows Phone 7 US launch". PocketGamer.biz. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
15. ^ "The Oregon Trail Card Game". pressmantoy.com. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
16. ^ Welch, Chris (March 24, 2018). "The Oregon Trail handheld game is a really fun nostalgia gadget". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
17. ^ Davenport, Corbin (December 16, 2019). "Get the Oregon Trail handheld game for just $8.50 right now". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
18. ^ "The Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valley". pressmantoy.com. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
19. ^ "'The Oregon Trail' is coming to Nintendo Switch". mashable.com. November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
20. ^ Coventry, Joshua. "Educational computing for the masses". SiliconUser. Archived from the original on June 28, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
21. ^ Ahl, David H. (1986). David H. Ahl's BASIC Computer Adventures. Microsoft Press. ISBN 0914845926.
22. ^ Ericson, Tracy. "The Oregon Trail: Contracting dysentery has never been so much fun". PocketGamer. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
23. ^ Beidler, Aurae (January 31, 2008), Facebook Oregon Trail Application: Social Networking Website's Version of the Original Educational Game, Suite 101
24. ^ Buchanan, Levi (February 25, 2009). "Oregon Trail iPhone Hands-On". IGN. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2009.
25. ^ Alaburda, Bob (March 11, 2009). "The Oregon Trail Out Now-On". ThePortableGamer. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
26. ^ On the Trail of the Oregon Trail by Jimmy Maher on filfre.net (source code: oregon1975.bas and oregon1978.bas, March 27, 2011)
27. ^ Jackson, A. Diallo (January 28, 2011). "Classic games coming to Facebook". Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
28. ^ Osborne, Joe (December 19, 2011). "Carmen Sandiego, Oregon Trail on Facebook will be no more next year". games.com news. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
29. ^ "Oregon Trail Review". GameSpot. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
30. ^ "Organ Trail". hasproductions. Archived from the original on November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
31. ^ "Oregon Trail Live". Retrieved November 19, 2014.
32. ^ "The Trail To Oregon!".
33. ^ "The Oregon Trail Game 5K". Archived from the original on July 16, 2015.
34. ^ Krol, Jacob (July 29, 2016). "The Oregon Trail is back, but this time it's a card game". CNET. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
35. ^ "OG Trail".
36. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (October 5, 2022). "'The Oregon Trail': The Iconic Video Game is Being Made Into Movie Musical [Exclusive]". Collider.
37. ^ Murphy, J. Kim (October 5, 2022). "'The Oregon Trail' Musical Film Adaptation in Development From 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile' Directors, Songwriting Duo Pasek and Paul". Variety.
38. ^ Galuppo, Mia (October 25, 2024). "'Oregon Trail' Action-Comedy Movie In Development at Apple (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
39. ^ Stephan, Katcy (October 25, 2024). "'Oregon Trail' Film in Development at Apple". Variety. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
40. ^ "A New Spin On A Classic Video Game Gives Native Americans Better Representation". NPR. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
41. ^ "'The Oregon Trail' is back—and a little less racist". Fast Company. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* The Oregon Trail series at MobyGames
* The Oregon Trail 1990 DOS edition at the Internet Archive
* The Oregon Trail 1991 Macintosh edition emulated with PCE.js

* v
* t
* e

The Oregon Trail video game series

The Oregon Trail|

* The Oregon Trail (1971)
* The Oregon Trail (1985)
* Oregon Trail II (1995)
* 3rd Edition
* 4th Edition
* 5th Edition
* The Oregon Trail (2009)
* American Settler

The Amazon Trail|

* The Amazon Trail
* Amazon Trail II
* 3rd Edition

Other games|

* The Yukon Trail
* MayaQuest: The Mystery Trail
* Africa Trail

Other media|

* The Trail to Oregon! (musical)
* Card and board games

Related|

* MECC
* Oregon Trail
* Freedom!
* Organ Trail

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template