the oregon trail game Archives

The Oregon Trail game online continues to educate and entertain people to this day!

The iconic Oregon Trail game from the ‘70s taught kids about the life of a 19th century pioneer on the Oregon Trail. Do you remember playing the role of wagon leader and guiding your group of settlers along the Oregon Trail? Go to VisitOregon online and click on the first game image to launch The Oregon Trail game and play it online now!

Here’s a video of someone playing the Oregon Trail game.

History of The Oregon Trail Game

The Oregon Trail is an older, very popular computer game that was developed by Bill Heinemann, Don Rawitsch, and Paul Dillenberger back in 1971. It was then put out on the market in 1974 by MECC. The game is simple and was created to teach school children about the life of a 19th century pioneer on the Oregon Trail. You get to play the role of a wagon leader and guide your group of chosen settlers from Independence, Missouri, to the Willamette Valley in Oregon while traveling along the Oregon Trail in 1848. The game has since been released multiple time on multiple platforms by various game makers and publishers who acquired the rights.

The Oregon Trail is a game that was created by Bill Heinemann, Don Rawitsch, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971. In 1974 it went to market by MECC (the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium; later Corporation).

The Oregon Trail is a simple game. It was developed to teach kids in school about the life of a 19th century pioneer on the Oregon Trail. In the game, you’re assigned the role of wagon leader and it’s your job to guide your group of settlers from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The idea is you’re making the treacherous trek back in 1848. The game became incredibly popular and has since been released many times on many different platforms by many different publishers who over the years acquired the right to the game.

While The Oregon Trail became the most famous of the games, though MECC also created: The Yukon Trail, Number Munchers, Storybook Weaver, The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary, Lemonade Stand, Word Munchers, and DinoPark Tycoon.

And MECC took the production of these games very, very, seriously. All of their games had to do four things, according to an interview the creators granted to Smithsonian Magazine:
1. The information in their games had to historically accurate.
2. The learning had to be woven throughout a game, it could not be parsed out.
3. Each game had to include detailed documentation for teachers to use in class.
4. The games had to be fun!

Questions About the Oregon Trail Game

Can you play Oregon Trail online for free?
Yes, you can play the Oregon Trail game online for FREE! The game runs on your web browser, so you won’t even need to download anything!

Where can I play the Oregon Trail game?
You can play the Oregon Trail game for free here.

The Oregon trail of Waterfalls represents countless hours, many sketches, and endless conversations to help make your next Oregon road trip one to remember. We look forward to seeing you soon. Please complete the form below to receive your free limited edition map now, while supplies last! If you prefer to view a digital version of the map or if you’re outside the U.S. or Canada, click here.