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Trails West

WE ARE BOOKED FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR! 

Thank you to all who inquired or booked your time with us. We appreciate you!!

fieldtrips@lcer.org

Fridays, January-May 

3rd Grade
Fridays, January-May 

What better way for third graders to learn about the westward movement than by taking them out on the trail?  In Mineral City, our simulated Western town on campus, students prepare for their journey in search of a better way of life. Trails West is not only about the westward movement, but also about the local history of our area as the program relives the first wagon train through the Mojave Desert from Utah to San Bernardino. Students learn how important wagons were to the westward movement and learn to appreciate our environment and what the pioneers sacrificed.  Our 150-acre Mojave River Campus was once home to a Serrano tribe.  They taught the pioneers how to use the local environment and to take care of it for future generations.  Those methods will be taught to our student pioneers.
Trails West photos

Trails West photos

 
Upon arrival, pioneer families withdraw Union Bucks from Union Bank, Mineral City Branch to purchase a covered wagon.  Wagons are loaded then lined up in town before heading out on the trail to find their new homestead. Students experience what it might have been like to be a pioneer on a wagon train. How far could you travel in one day in a wagon train? Where did the pioneers sleep each night?  What were some of the hardships the pioneer faced?  Each pioneer will recieve a twig pencil. Along the trail, students will write in their journals just as the pioneers did before them.  Once they reach their new homestead, they "settle" their land by building log cabins and planting crops.
 
 
$9 per student, chaperones free
Souvenir twig pencil included!
Max 65 students

2 1/2 hour field trip
$9 per student, chaperones free
Souvenir twig pencil included!
Max 65 students

  • All attendees are encouraged to dress like a pioneer for the day!
  • Presale items are available before starting so students can "look the part"
           Cowboy hats/bonnets $5, Bandanas $2, Mustaches $1, Water bottles $1
  • This is an outdoor field trip, please dress accordingly.  Closed-toed shoes recommended, but not required.
  • Eating lunch in Mineral CIty is available upon request.  Prior approval required.
 
Students shop in Johnson's Emporium for ole' time merchandise!  Prices range from $1 - $10.  Mineral City t-shirts are $15.  All proceeds support Mineral City.
 
To schedule a field trip, contact the Lewis Center
760-946-5414 ext. 276