Carol Ann Has Dysentery
Living, learning, and dying on the steps of The Oregon Trail
The tale of The Oregon Trail is a bundle of odd circumstances and lucky breaks. Developed in 1971 by three college students for the Minnesota public school system, the game became one of the most influential pieces of pop culture in the last half-century. The Oregon Trail was partly responsible for Apple’s dominance in the ’80s in the education space, but the game’s creators never made a dime. Even its creation was nearly thwarted. If it were not for a decision that Don Rawitsch made during the Vietnam War, the game may have never existed – at least in the form that millions of children experienced.
Now the principal in a consulting firm bearing his name, Rawitsch was the linchpin for The Oregon Trail. It was his idea to focus on that piece of American history, and he served as the spirit guide for his partners Bill Heinemann and Paul Dillenberger as they set out to make a title for the classroom that eventually changed the face of computer games. That’s where our story starts—with three college students with a single idea.
