Heading West

Many young men took the Overland route from the East Coast or Midwest to California. This route was very expensive and involved traveling by wagon for months.

Some people traveled by sea. There were two major routes: around Cape Horn, or through the Isthmus of Panama. Cape Horn was safer, but took between five and eight months. Cutting across the Isthmus of Panama was much shorter––just four to six weeks. However, it was also more dangerous, and migrants had to get out of their boats on the Atlantic side and walk to the Pacific side.