Here's What It Was Really Like To Pioneer On The Oregon Trail

between 1840 and 1860 roughly 400 000 people traveled the 2 000 mile path of the oregon trail encountering sickness death exhaustion and other hardships the road was long and arduous but for these determined pioneers life continued on and even settled into a routine here's what life was really like on the oregon trail pioneers who journeyed on the oregon trail used wagons pioneer wagons had to be light but durable enough to take a beating most settlers used converted farm wagons while others relied on ones specially made for the oregon trail a common misconception is that overlanders used conestoga wagons they did not those famous wagons were used for freight on other trails they were much too heavy for crossing the prairies the wagons that pioneers used were often simple farm wagons fitted with covers made of canvas they weighed up to 1400 pounds and hauled nearly a ton and a half because of the strain trail wagons were usually mostly made of hardwoods such as oak hickory and maple the wagon bed at only four feet by ten feet was crammed with supplies if the wagon broke down on the trail it could be an arduous if not impossible process to fix it the tires axles and the connections in the undercarriage took the most of use these parts were reinforced by iron the whole ensemble was covered up with white canvas held by hoops which led some to call the pioneer wagons prairie schooners prairie schooners made for an uncomfortable ride there were no springs or suspension systems to cushion the jolts of 2 000 miles of rocky wilderness most overlanders therefore walked not just because of the lack of comfort but because the wagon was full of stuff because the oregon trail was so long and so full of unknown hazards pioneers organized themselves into larger caravans called wagon trains this created a mobile community that had the virtue of protection in numbers it's best not to get too far from the train miss it's like the ocean out here the pioneers were also well structured wagon trains operated through written agreements that dictated rules of who does what and designated officers to the caravan such contracts were used until about 1850 when they were replaced by more informal agreements all these wagons had a direct impact on the environment to this day ruts from oregon trail wagon trains are still visible in fact the trail was modified over time as pioneers discovered shortcuts overlanders even carved graffiti into stone with one prominent example being independence rock in casper wyoming which was dubbed one of the registers of the desert oregon trail pioneers needed a considerable amount of equipment in order to survive the months-long journey not only did they need basic tools to repair broken wagons but also rifles to hunt game bedding tents and cooking equipment pioneers usually only had up to three sets of clothes made of wool or linen and that had to last through the entire journey there are actually few surviving examples of oregon trail dress since the clothes were so worn out by the time the pioneers reached the trail's end they were either recycled or discarded also discarded were those items that were found to be impractically too heavy for the trail as the animals hauling the wagons grew increasingly tired the pioneers were forced to get rid of all things not essential the trail was strewn with furniture trunks beds cast iron stoves and other personal belongings what was most essential for the pioneers was to have a large stockpile of food when you walk for two thousand miles you are going to burn lots of calories a hiker without a pack walking four miles per hour on level ground path burns about 106 calories per mile in the best of circumstances it may be assumed that an oregon trail pioneer walking 15 miles a day was expending about 1600 calories a day at minimum this is a very low estimate since a pioneer would be dealing with rugged terrain to fuel their bodies the settlers needed lots of food the oregon trail pioneers didn't concern themselves with eating healthy instead they focused on eating food that could last for months it's estimated that a family of four required 400 pounds of bacon 600 pounds of flour 100 pounds of sugar and 200 pounds of lard they also often brought dried peaches and apples as well as sacks of rice to wash it all down they carried 60 pounds of coffee and 4 pounds of tea in addition they also frequently carried cornmeal butter vinegar salt and baking soda from the larder and of course there was whiskey or brandy for medicinal purposes on the journey overlanders would supplement their meals through hunting and fishing a larger family often required more food which could exceed the recommended carrying load of the wagon some families had to bring two wagons with them while others brought their own livestock like cows for dairy products one of the most important choices an oregon trail pioneer had to make was what animals to bring and potentially the most critical was selecting which draft animals to haul the wagon this choice boiled down to either mules or oxen oxen were sometimes preferred since they were able to live off of the wild pasturage some overlanders believed that these animals would not wander off and native americans were uninterested in them so there was no threat of theft the same was true for mules however while mules had the virtue of speed they were harder to handle than oxen oxen were also cheaper than mules overlanders often waited until they reached a departure point to purchase their supplies and draft animals so that they were in the freshest condition it was also cheaper to buy the animals and say independence rather than back east many of these animals never finished the journey after a few weeks of hauling heavily laid in wagons the animals would flag and many would either refuse to go any further simply collapse and die the pioneers would see dead animals on the trail every day sometimes the bodies could be eaten or sometimes the meat was sold when animals did perish the immigrants often were forced to buy replacements for stiff prices at the far-flung trading posts and forts along the trail one of the great myths of the oregon trail that is finally being thoroughly debunked is that native american tribes were a menace to the pioneers the truth is that the relationship between the immigrants and native americans were more complex the pioneers were passing through the lands of a number of tribes with complex societies including the sioux cheyenne comanche and arapaho the pioneers were generally filled with paranoia about native american attacks and it's that paranoia that is carried down in popular memory mr harris for those who are wild indians oh no richard they were friendly the native americans generally viewed the travelers as potential trading partners they would supply the settlers with food in exchange for tools firearms and small trade goods like mirrors and metal tools overlanders hired native americans to herd their livestock assisting crossing rivers and help guide them along the trail rinker buck author of the oregon trail a new american journey in an interview with national geographic stated they bartered with immigrants for trinkets supplies and horses they were very helpful at first in fact the ingenuity of the indians in crossing the rivers was a crucial aspect of the oregon trail you had to ford numerous rivers and the shoshones pawnees and sue were extremely adept at helping the pioneers make these forts as time went by the relations between the pioneers and native americans grew worse the immigrants never got over their paranoia and frequently shot at peaceful native americans rinker buck noted to national geographic for about 20 years it was very friendly as opposed to the impression that you get from hollywood movies but when the indians realized the white man was there to slaughter the buffalo their protein source and we did in hellacious numbers they turned hostile and declared war most of the attacks on the oregon trail occurred near the snake and humboldt rivers or near the southern end of the willamette valley to the applegate trail still casualties were lower than you may have thought john unruh calculates in his book the planes across that between 1840 and 1860 362 pioneers were killed by native american attack and 426 native americans were killed by pioneers with most of the deaths occurring in the latter years keep in mind that native americans were far more impacted by the diseases brought by settlers and their impact on the environment even though the threat of violence from native americans was exceedingly minimal the oregon trail was still highly dangerous the mortality rate of the pioneers may have been up to 10 the causes of death were numerous pioneers brought firearms with them for hunting and sport and accidents through inept handling frequently occurred other major accidents included drownings and being run over by wagon wheels or by the animals they brought harsh weather also played a factor which included lightning strikes yet the biggest killer was disease pioneers suffered from measles rocky mountain spotted fever and dysentery these diseases were dwarfed however by cholera which was the chief killer on the oregon trail cholera which is caused by bacteria in tainted water causes abdominal pain diarrhea vomiting and death a person may die within 12 hours of the onset of symptoms yesterday morning he was fine it was very quick the worst outbreaks of cholera occurred between 1849 and 1852. overlander cecilia adams wrote in her 1852 diary passed seven new made graves one had four bodies in it cholera a man died with the cholera ahead of us estimates vary but disease alone may have claimed up to thirty 000 pioneers children shared the dangers of the oregon trail with their parents some estimates say that as many as 40 000 of the pioneers were children children on the trail took part in the same chores and duties as adults one family with nine children only permitted the three and five-year-olds to escape work such chores may be to help bake food assist driving the wagon or minding any of the loose livestock the settlers brought there was no formal schooling on the trail except for what the family could tutor them children brought with them vivaciousness which enlivened the camp at night they played games like leapfrog and london bridge as well as song and dance one such account states that a boy named robert got his hands on a pair of spanish spurs he put these on and then attempted to ride one of the tempestuous mules one of the party reported quote he looks so ridiculous flying over the mule's head we heard no more of spanish furs as that story illustrates children often were seriously injured with some dying in accidents on the oregon trail such cases included a wagon wheel rolling over a child breaking limbs or outright killing them an 1849 diary entry records a lady and four children were drowned through the carelessness of those in charge of the ferry as the emigrants crossed north america each wagon train fell into a routine a typical day began at 4am to the sound of a bugle or rifle to wake up the caravan at 5 am the livestock that was let loose to graze overnight were rounded up after which breakfast was served by 7 am the evening camp was packed and wagons hitched at a sound of a trumpet and a call wagon's hoe the caravan proceeded with men riding ahead on horses to scout the path at noon the wagon train halted for a rest in a meal at one the caravan was on the way again generally proceeding until about 5 pm when camp was made by circling the wagons as a corral followed by suppers daily tasks and some leisure time typically the camp turned in at 8 pm and a guard was set who was relieved at midnight the process would then repeat itself at 4am with the exception of some wagon trains that halted for extended periods or for the entire day on sundays for religious observances with a journey so long and monotonous oregon trail pioneers adopted routines and even a semblance of what settled life was like there were a number of marriages and births on the trail most weddings occurred at the debarcation points in the east romance also bloomed on the road though and couples married the newlywed couples were often subjected to a joking custom supposed to prevent the consummation of the marriage which might entail banging pots and pans and dragging the newlyweds out into a drunken mock parade with a journey so long though tempers sometimes frayed according to rank or buck as pioneers moved further fights would break out especially during river crossings in which people's livestock and possessions would get mixed up buck said people would pull their guns out and start shooting each other i feel that the oregon trail years and the stresses and the tensions of the crossing introduced this kind of violence into the american ethos perhaps the pioneer lauren hastings summed up the oregon trail experience best when she later told the oregon pioneer association i look back upon the long dangerous and precarious emigrant road with a degree of romance and pleasure but to others it is the graveyard of their friends check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more grunge videos about us history are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one you

Channel: Grunge

Views: 560,499

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Keywords: grunge, oregon trail, history, pioneer, trail wagon

Id: vMMpHRHM0Ac

Length: 14min 5sec (845 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 27 2021