View manual text
the
oregon
trail
educational computing activities
for the apple® II computer
Product No . H-106
Diskette and Instruction Booklet
A Word About MECC
MECC was created in 1973. Ours is the oldest, most trusted
name in educational computing .
MECC has enjoyed a long tradition of designing and producing
high-quality educational software for a world market. Our everexpanding collection of over 300 products can be used on a
variety of personal computers.
Widely adopted by schools, MECC's educational software is
now available for home use . The Oregon Trail is just one
example of the excellence you can expect from us.
MECC. There's no substitute for the experience.™
©Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation
3490 Lexington Avenue North
St. Paul , MN 55126
ISBN 0-87490-049-2
July 1985
Apple® II is a registered trademark of Appl e Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, California. All
diskettes are protected with an anti-copy software component, copyrig ht ©MECC, 1985.
U.S. Copyright Law prohibits the reproduction of computer software .
Welcome to The Oregon Trail
What was it like to bid farewell to friends and neighbors and set
off on a 2000-mile trek by covered wagon? Maybe you're a
farmer who plows fields with an ox team, but do you know how
to drive several yoke of oxen across prairies, rivers, and Rocky
Mountain trails?
Maybe you're a farmer's wife who, after chores, household work,
and taking care of your husband and children, is glad simply to
fall asleep in your own feather bed . Will you like riding day after
day in a jolting wagon on hot, dust-whipped trails, with only a
thin layer of linen between you and the heavy rains?
Maybe you're a child, big enough to milk cows and help gather
in the wheat . You think you 're off for a big adventure. You'll see
Indians streak .across the plains on horseback! You'll see herds
of antelope and the giant buffalo! You'll see snow-capped
mountains! Just keep thinking of those mountains when the
wagon is stuck in mud past the axles . .. when you 're thirsty and
too tired to swat the swarms of mosquitoes buzzing around your
head . .. when you wish you were back in Illinois, running
through the apple orchard with your friends .
Whoever you a:re, you can relive the journeys of real pioneers.
All you need is your imagination and a little help from MECC's
re-creation of the Oregon Trail.
The Oregon Trail requires an Apple II series computer with 64K
of memory.
One program
For use by one or more players
Ages 10 and up
Who Wants to Go to Oregon, Anyway?
Well, some rich folks did. Some rich Easterners put on overalls
and bought an "outfit." An outfit was everything-the wagon and
all provisions. You can be a banker from Boston with $2500 to
buy what you want at Matt's General Store and at stopping
places along the trail. Or you can be a carpenter from Ohio with
$1000, or a farmer from Illinois with $400.
Press SPACE BAR to continue
What Those Who Made It to Oregon
Have to Tell You
Be cautious. (But not too cautious. You need to get to Oregon
before your provisions, money, animals, or endurance gives
out-and before the severe winter weather begins.)
Learn how to aim and fire a rifle. (But don't fire it too often.
Hunting takes a day away from the trail , and besides, you can
only carry 100 pounds of meat back to the wagon.)
Keep a good traveling pace. (Only you know what a "good pace"
is for the health and progress of your party.)
Learn how to cross a river. (No steamboats for these river
crossings! You'll have to hire a ferry, caulk your wagon and
float-or maybe you'll be lucky enough to meet an Indian who'll
help you out.)
Learn from other travelers. (Talk is cheap-it doesn 't cost a
thing, unless you follow bad advice or don't understand what
strangers might be trying to tell you.)
Check your supplies and buy what you need along the way.
(That is, if you have enough money to buy supplies and it
doesn't get lost or stolen, and if there is a place to buy what you
need.)
Your Supplies
8
5
200
2
1
1
650
$200.00
Follow a map. (Folks have made it to Oregon without a map, but
if you know how far it is to the next fort, river crossing , or
stopping place, chances are you'll be able to plan better. Of
course, planning doesn't necessarily mean that your wagon
won't break down, that cholera won't strike, or that the weather
won't make you lose your way.)
The Oregc
0
100
n Trail
COUf'C;\ Bluffs
Independence
200
300
California-Oregon Trails 1848
Things To Do Along the Trail Besides Work
Stopping to rest is a good idea. Take time to restore your health .
Enjqy the scenery!
Sometimes you'll meet Indians or overlanders who'll be glad to
trade with you . Of course, they may not have what you need . On
the other hand , if you can spare what they're looking for, it's a
neighborly thing to do.
You might want to change food rations now and then. Let
everyone have a feast, or cut down if you 're eating too well! And
you may enjoy visiting with folks at places like Fort Kearney and
Fort Laramie or at landmarks like Chimney Rock and Soda
Springs.
Hope you get a chance to try rafting from the Dalles down the
Columbia River. It's not exactly a pleasure trip, of course, trying
to control your direction amid sandbars and rapids with just two
poles. We call your poles Left- and Right-Arrow Keys. If these
don 't work for you , try the J and K Keys.
To hunt along the way- whether it's for buffalo , antelope, or
small game-you'll need to know what to do.
Hunting Instructions
Return Ke~
To start or stop walking
Arrow Keys
To point the rifle
<novice hunters>
nmm
13 B
11•11
To point the rifle
(expert hunters)
Space Dar
To fire the rifle
What a 20th-Century Returning Emigrant
Has to Tell You
Control-S
Those rollicking melodies heard along the trail
can be turned on or off whenever the Space Bar
message appears on the screen. Just hold the
Control Key down and press S (for "sound").
Press RETURN to size up the situation
Date: June 27, 1848
Weather : warM
Heal th : fair
Food : 245 pounds
Next landMark 62 Miles
Miles traveled : 1424 Miles
Control-A
You can view the original names listed on the
Oregon Top Ten, view the present-day list, and
choose the list you would like displayed. Hold
the Control Key down and press A at the main
menu .
Control-A also allows you to erase messages
(epitaphs) written on the tombstones for "emigrants" who died along the trail.
Facts About MECC's
The Oregon Trail
Graphics in the program are interpretations of descriptions
recorded in pioneer diaries and, whenever possible, of paintings
and lithographs of actual locations.
Mileage between locations uses figures from an emigrant
guidebook that was published to encourage travel to the
" Oregon and Californ ia countries."
The inescapable weather, which affects the health and wellbeing of emigrants and animals and determines conditions on
the trail , is simulated in the program from weather data of the
actual monthly mean temperatures and average monthly rainfall
for six typical locations along the Oregon Trail.
Events and what people tell you along the trail are based on
actual diary accounts and published scholarly research .
Fantasy merges with reality in the hunting and rafting games.
However, you 're more likely to encounter a buffalo on the plains
and a bear in the mountains. And many a journey ended with a
trip from the Dalles down the Columbia River.
The
D~lles
Septeftber 22, 1848
What Happens If You Make It to Oregon?
You'll be exhausted. But you'll have the satisfaction of having
succeeded and knowing that the name of your party may make
the Oregon Top Ten. Furthermore, if you happen to be a
carpenter, you'll receive double the points that the banker from
Boston receives. And if you're a farmer, your points will triple!
You receive points for each member of your party to arrive
safely; you receive more points if they arrive in good health!
Health of Party
good
fair
poor
very poor
Points per Person
500
400
300
200
You also receive points for each item to arrive safely.
Resources of Party
wagon
ox
spare wagon part
set of clothing
bullets (each 50)
food (each 25 pounds)
cash (each 5 dollars)
Points per Item
50
4
2
2
1
1
1
What Those Who Didn't Make It to Oregon
Will Tell You
"If I'd known better, I would have found out about covered
wagons, ox teams, and crossing the plains and mountains. And
I'd have found out about the different Indians along the way and
why they think all those buffalo are so special. Guess I'd have
studied a few maps, too, and read what those folks who made it
had to say about the Oregon Trail!"
General Lee Stillworthtrying
The Oregon Trail Rewards
The Oregon Trail stimulates your imagination as you develop
your problem-solving skills and learn about an important phase
of American history. Persistence and determination lead to
greater success as you pursue your goal.
MECC produced the original computer version of The Oregon
Trail in 1975. Since then, Oregon, in its original and subsequent
versions, has been used by more children in schools than any
other computer program ever. Join the millions who have
learned from and have enjoyed The Oregon Trail.
You may enjoy other learning products from MECC, including
Jenny's Journeys, Mind Puzzles, and The Market Place.
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St. Paul, MN 55126