Did Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Family Travel on the Oregon Trail?

Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family are very much associated with the westward expansion during the time the Little House books took place.  And while they did travel west in a covered wagon, Laura nor her family travelled on the actual Oregon Trail.

The Oregon Trail was the common route used by pioneers and settlers traveling from the area around the Missouri River to the West Coast (present day Washington, Oregon and California) during the mid- to late-19th century.

However, many of the experiences Laura and her family had while travelling in a covered wagon were similar to those experienced by those traversing the Oregon Trail, however the Ingalls travels were of a much shorter duration and without some of the extreme hardships those who travelled the true Oregon Trail often experienced.