Music

One aspect of the United States that has always made it unique, is it’s ethnic diversity. Every immigrant that comes to the United States, brings with them their culture as well as their ethnicity. During the time of the Oregon Trail, our country’s ethnic diversity was more limited, but it was still existent. There were people from many different countries, like England, Germany, France, Ireland, and Spain. When Polk gave the word to “Go West”, the Americans that heard his call carried this ethnic diversity with them. Some of them brought food and traditions, but others brought music.

It’s hard to classify one type of music as “The Music of the Oregon Trail”. There were so many different people that went on the trail and not all of them listened to the same music. In general American folk songs like “Long Long Ago”, “Cripple Creek”, “Little Liza Jane”, and “Red River Valley” where the most common. But there were many different types of music. A lot of the American folk songs that we listen to today, have been changed and improved by many generations. Most of these songs go so far back, that it is impossible to trace who actualy wrote them.

Unlike other types of music where every musical detail needs to be observed, folk music is much more fluid. There can be hundreds of different variations for just one song, and hundreds of songs to choose from. There is always new things to learn, and new experiences to have with music. It gave moral boosts to the people on the trail, and it is still something that we enjoy today.