It was costly—as much as $1,000 for a family of four. That fee included a wagon at
about $100
. Usually four or six animals had to pull the wagon.
How much did a wagon and oxen cost?
A wagon and oxen team cost each family
about $400 to $600
. The total weight of wagon’s cargo pulled by the oxen was about 2500 pounds.
How many miles a day did a covered wagon travel?
The covered wagon made
8 to 20 miles per day
depending upon weather, roadway conditions and the health of the travelers. It could take up to six months or longer to reach their destination.
Did pioneers sleep in covered wagons?
Some pioneers did sleep in their wagons
. Some did camp on the ground—either in the open or sheltered under the wagon. But many used canvas tents. Despite the romantic depictions of the covered wagon in movies and on television, it would not have been very comfortable to travel in or sleep in the wagon.
How much did a wagon weigh in the 1800s?
A typical prairie schooner weighed
about 1,300 pounds (590 kg) when empty
, and the general goal was to keep the weight of the added cargo to no more than 2,000 pounds (900 kg). Teams of 10 to 12 horses or mules or six yoked oxen typically were used to pull one of these wagons, with mules and oxen generally preferred.
How much did it cost to join a wagon train?
The overland journey from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon or California meant a six-month trip across 2,000 miles of hard country. It was costly—as much as $1,000 for a family of four. That fee included a wagon at
about $100
.
How long did some settlers walk per day on their journey west?
There were slightly different paths for reaching Oregon but, for the most part, settlers crossed the Great Plains until they reached their first trading post at Fort Kearney, averaging
between ten and fifteen miles per day
.
What did pioneers sleep on?
Many modern beds are constructed with several inches of foam mattresses and metal springs, but a pioneer bed was put together in a different way. The thin mattress was a large cloth sack, or tick, that could be filled with
dried grass, wool, or feathers
.
How long did a wagon train take?
The wagon train would travel at around two miles an hour. This enabled the emigrants to average ten miles a day. With good weather the 2,000 mile journey from Missouri to California and Oregon would take
about five months
.
Why didn’t most pioneers ride in their wagons?
People didn’t ride in the wagons often,
because they didn’t want to wear out their animals
. Instead they walked alongside them, getting just as dusty as the animals. The long journey was hard on both people and animals. It was even hard on the wagons, which usually had to be repaired several times during the trip.
What did the pioneers eat for dessert?
As for desserts — they were simple, but many and varied. There were
apple dump- lings, rice and bread puddings, soft molasses cookies, sugar jumbles, and mincemeat, pumpkin, dried apple, or custard pies
. On special occasions we might have lemon pie. It was not necessary to skimp on eggs or milk.
How many wagons were usually in a wagon train?
Wagon Trains were composed of up to 200 wagons, though
more common were trains of 30 or less wagons
. Wagon Trains had large numbers of livestock accompany them. Upwards of 2,000 cattle and 10,000 sheep joined the pioneers in their westward trek.
What did they eat on wagon trains?
Those who operated freight wagon trains subsisted on
coffee, bread, salt pork and beans or cornmeal
. Delicacies included oysters, which were packed in tins in the early years and later shipped fresh, and alcoholic beverages such as French Champagne and claret.
When was the last covered wagon used?
Horses and wagons were common until the
1920s-1940s
, when they were replaced by the automobile. Trains can take you from city to city, but only to train stations. After that wagon teams were used to take people literally everywhere else.
How big was a covered wagon that the pioneers used?
The wagons were surprisingly small, measuring only
about four feet wide and eight or nine feet long
. That means the entire wagon was narrower than a full-size bed and only a little bit longer. All of the family’s belongings had to be packed into the wagon, leaving no room for beds.
What was life like in a covered wagon?
Dreary times,
wet and muddy
, and crowded in the tent, cold and wet and uncomfortable in the wagon no place for the poor children…” Sometimes Amelia Stewart Knight and her family had to sleep “in wet beds, with their wet clothes on, without supper.” Sick or well, Amelia had chores to do; and they were endless.
When did wagon trains stop?
Wagon trains disappeared in the West by
the late 19th century
. Later, instead of wagon trains, people were able to travel by way of the transcontinental railroad, but those wagons had led the way! 1. Wagon trains were the main way to travel to the West in the 20th century.
Which state would not have been on the Oregon Trail?
The places we now know as
Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, and Utah
would probably not be a part of the United States today were it not for the Oregon Trail. That’s because the Trail was the only way for settlers to get across the mountains.
What did pioneers pack in their covered wagons?
The pioneers would take with them as many supplies as possible. They took
cornmeal, bacon, eggs, potatoes, rice, beans, yeast, dried fruit, crackers, dried meat
, and a large barrel of water that was tied to the side of the wagon. If the pioneers could take a cow, they would.
How far did pioneers walk each day?
Average distance covered in a day was usually
fifteen miles
, but on a good day twenty could be traveled. 7:30 am: Men ride ahead on horses with shovels to clear out a path, if needed.
How many wagon trains went west?
Between 1840 and 1869, the year the Transcontinental Railroad was completed,
more than 420,000 pioneers
went West on the Oregon Trail.
How long did it take to go across the Oregon Trail?
Perhaps some 300,000 to 400,000 people used it during its heyday from the mid-1840s to the late 1860s, and possibly a half million traversed it overall, covering an average of 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) per day; most completed their journeys in
four to five months
.
What kind of food did the pioneers eat?
Breads, potatoes, rice
, and starchy foods put backbone into a meal and the hungry souls who ate it. The mainstays of a pioneer diet were simple fare like potatoes, beans and rice, hardtack (which is simply flour, water, 1 teaspoon each of salt and sugar, then baked), soda biscuits (flour, milk, one t.
How did covered wagons cross rivers?
required ingenuity to get the wagon down the bank, into the water and up the bank on the other side.” The pioneers would use picks and
shovels to cut down stream banks
to get their wagons down the incline and into the water. … They proceeded to float two wagons across the river while lashed together with ropes and poles.
What kind of furniture did the pioneers have?
Furniture of the pioneer cabin was homemade.
Beds, split-bottom chairs, a pine table, cupboard, and sometimes a spinning wheel
were the essential items. Neighbors, being poor and on equal footing, were described as hospitable.
What was the mortality rate among the travelers of the trail?
It is estimated that 6-10% of all emigrants of the trails succumbed to some form of illness. Of the estimated 350,000 who started the journey, disease may have claimed as many as 30,000 victims. Since the trail was 2,000 miles long, this would indicate that there was an average of
10-15 deaths per mile
.
How common were Indian attacks on wagon trains?
In fact, sustained attacks by Indians on wagon trains were
rare
and encounters between Indians and emigrants were, more often, peaceful and mutually advantageous. … In comparison, he estimates that more than 425 Indians were killed by emigrants during the same period.
What was the most common death on the Oregon Trail?
Wagon accidents
were the most common. Both children and adults sometimes fell off or under wagons and were crushed under the wheels. Others died by being kicked, thrown, or dragged by the wagon’s draft animals (oxen, horses and mules). when someone unwisely wandered off alone.
Where did the pioneers sleep on the Oregon Trail?
The wagon train was moveable community for four to six months along the trail. Each evening, the wagon encampment typically grouped into a circle, forming a temporary corral.
Around the circle, tents and bedrolls
provided the shelter for exhausted pioneers.
What was life like on a wagon train?
The trail was rough, full of holes and rocks, so riding in a
wagon was bumpy and uncomfortable
. Most emigrants walked alongside instead, unless they were ill. Many settlers walked the full 2,000 miles of the trail. Wagon trains typically traveled 15 to 20 miles a day—less if they had to cross a mountain or a river.
How many American pioneers died heading west?
Death on the Trail
Emigrants on the Oregon Trail suffered tremendous hardships. Death was an ever-present companion. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 10 emigrants died on the trail—
between 20,000 and 30,000 people
. The majority of deaths occurred because of diseases caused by poor sanitation.
How did pioneers cook their food?
The first pioneers in most places ate by
campfires
. By necessity, foods were cooked by very simple methods. Dutch ovens, frying pans, boiling pots, and roasting spits were typically employed. … Improvements in housing and transportation enabled a greater variety of food to be prepared in more traditional ways.
How did pioneers get drinking water?
Obtaining water was, of course,
a primary need for both sustaining homestead crops and the lives of the homesteaders themselves
. The fastest-moving settlers staked their claims near rivers, streams, or springs, but these desirable “waterfront” homesteads quickly became unavailable. Most families had to dig wells.
What did pioneers do for fun?
They had races and played games such as
Sheep Over the River, Hide and Seek, Pull the Rope, and Steal-Stick Duck-Stones
. They also sang and danced. They made dolls from corn cobs and rags and used a bladder balloon for ball games.
What was a typical breakfast in 1800?
Before cereal, in the mid 1800s, the American breakfast was not all that different from other meals. Middle- and upper-class Americans ate
eggs, pastries, and pancakes
, but also oysters, boiled chickens, and beef steaks.
What time was dinner in the 1800s?
In the early 1800s, upper-class Bostonians were still eating breakfast at nine a.m., dinner at
two p.m.
, and supper at eight, earlier hours than their counterparts in London. Their two o’clock dinner was the time for entertaining guests, and showing off the silverware and fancy foods.
Did pioneers eat pancakes?
Cornmeal Pancakes
Cornmeal was easy to make and transport, so travelers got creative with how they used it in their meals. A favorite food on the Oregon Trail was cornmeal pancakes, which could easily be fried up over the campfire.
What happened to the original wagon master on wagon train?
Bond died of a heart attack
on the fourth season of ‘Wagon Train. … Bond shockingly passed on November 5, 1960. John McIntire was brought in to replace the actor, acting as a new wagon master. No explanation was given for Major Adams’ disappearance.
What happened to Bill Hawks wife on wagon train?
Irene Windust subsequently played the character of Charity Harris on the third season of the Western, and
she got killed by arrows while traveling home
. Her second on-screen husband, who was played by John Howard, later sought revenge against her killers.
What was the leader of a wagon train called?
The wagon master
had many responsibilities. It was vital that the wagon master be a knowledgeable and skilled individual in order for the people and goods to travel safely across the country. The wagon master also had to be familiar with the trail that they would be traveling.
How long did it take to cross the United States in a covered wagon?
The covered wagon made 8 to 20 miles per day depending upon weather, roadway conditions and the health of the travelers. It could take
up to six months or longer
to reach their destination.
Was the covered wagon invented?
Lesson Summary
Covered wagons were first created
in the 1700s
for hauling materials in Pennsylvania. The first covered wagons were called Conestoga Wagons, while a lighter wagon called the Prairie Schooner was created for long-distance travel.
What dangers did pioneers face on the Oregon Trail?
Major threats to pioneer life and limb came from
accidents, exhaustion, and disease
. Crossing rivers were probably the most dangerous thing pioneers did. Swollen rivers could tip over and drown both people and oxen. Such accidents could cause the loss of life and most or all of valuable supplies.
