As mentioned in the entry on The Dalles & Oregon's migration, many did migrate west, away from the East, in order to establish. Let's see what this PNW town and Appalachia & Ozarks have in common...
The Appalachia & Ozarks region are surrounded by mountains. Although not very high, they "promote" isolation, and more challenges in terms of transportation. This region of the states offers plenty of land, and extraction of resources (which will be explained later), and not a whole lot of "megalopolitan" activity. Looks like The Dalles and such region have that in common: large space and land.
There's a chance that those who lived in Appalachia & the Ozarks took a chance and headed west, hence the Westward Expansion. The PNW definitely had more to offer, land-wise. Opportunity is greater for agricultural abundance, therefore there was opportunity for profit.
As I did my own Google search for curiosity (and blogging) sake, here's a slight explanation on The Westward Expansion from Appalachia to the PNW:
During the 1830s and '40s, the flood of pioneers poured unceasingly westward. Michigan, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Iowa received most of them. A number of families even went as far as the Pacific coast, taking the Oregon Trail to areas in the Pacific Northwest. In 1849 fortune seekers rushed into California in search of gold. Meanwhile, the Mormons ended their long pilgrimage in Utah.
- History Channel.com on The Western Expansion
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