The hardships of
weather, limited diet, and exhaustion
made travelers very vulnerable to infectious diseases such as cholera, flu, dysentery, measles, mumps, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever which could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp.
What was it like traveling on the Oregon Trail?
Life on the trail was not easy
. Many faced family deaths to sicknesses such as cholera, measles, and smallpox. Starvation, harsh weather conditions, and travel accidents were common and took their toll, no matter which trail pioneers chose to travel or how carefully they prepared.
What were two challenges of traveling on the Oregon Trail?
Stream and river crossings, steep descents and ascents, violent storms
, and the persistent threat of disease among large groups of travelers were the most common challenges. Disease was the greatest threat on the trail, especially cholera, which struck wagon trains in years of heavy travel.
What did the pioneers worry about 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.
What did pioneers do when they got to Oregon?
Emigrants could
corral and graze their animals at the Farm
while, for 50 cents, they dined on large portions of beef, potatoes, slaw, and biscuits. At Oregon City, after six months of grueling travel over 2000 miles, newcomers might rest a bit and resupply in town at establishments such as Abernethy’s Store.
What percentage of pioneers died on the Oregon Trail?
Death was rampant on the Oregon Trail.
Approximately one out of every tenth
person who began the trip did not make it to their destination. These deaths were mostly in part to disease or accidents. Diseases ranged from a fever to dysentery, but the most deadly disease was cholera.
What did the pioneers drink?
The Founders, like most colonists, were fans of adult beverages. Colonial Americans drank roughly three times as much as modern Americans, primarily in the form of
beer, cider, and whiskey
.
What were the odds of surviving the Oregon Trail?
Nearly one in ten who set off on the Oregon Trail did not survive
. The two biggest causes of death were disease and accidents.
How did pioneers get cholera?
During bad outbreaks, cholera killed two-thirds of entire wagon trains. Pioneers got cholera from
consuming contaminated water or food
. On the Oregon Trail, they didn’t have running water or toilets. They drank water from nearby streams and rivers.
How far could pioneers travel in one day?
7:00 am: After every family has gathered their teams and hitched them to wagons, a trumpeter signals a “Wagons Ho,” to start the wagons down the trail. Average distance covered in a day was usually
fifteen miles
, but on a good day twenty could be traveled.
Can you visit the Oregon Trail?
It turns out,
there are many sites along The Oregon Trail that you can visit as part of the National Park Service
! The trails are also broken down by the states Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon (mapped here!), and Wyoming so you can take the actual routes.
How long did it take pioneers to travel 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
.
How did pioneers treat broken bones?
First, the doctor would
align the patient’s bone fragments as closely to their natural state as possible
. Second, the wound would be wrapped in a bandage before wood or leather splints were added to stabilize the limb.
Does Oregon Trail still exist?
But even devoted players of the classic computer game, which turned 45 this year, may not know that
relics of the trail itself are still carved into the landscapes of the United States
. The trail itself—all 2,170 miles of it—was braved by more than 400,000 people between 1840 and 1880.
What were the 3 real enemies of the settlers?
The real enemies of the pioneers were
cholera, poor sanitation and–surprisingly–accidental gunshots
. The first emigrants to go to Oregon in a covered wagon were Marcus and Narcissa Whitman (and Henry and Eliza Spalding) who made the trip in 1836.
What did pioneers travel in to get to Oregon?
Between 1841 and 1869, hundreds of thousands of people traveled westward on the trail. Many of them traveled in
large wagon trains
using covered wagons to carry their belongings. The Oregon Trail began in Independence, Missouri and ended in Oregon City, Oregon.
Why did pioneers go to Oregon instead of California?
There were many reasons for the westward movement to Oregon and California.
Economic problems upset farmers and businessmen
. Free land in Oregon and the possibility of finding gold in California lured them westward.
Where did pioneers settle in Oregon?
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 was the biggest killer on the Oregon Trail?
What was the greatest cause of death on the Oregon Trail? ,
being crushed by wagon wheels and injuries from handling domestic animals
were the biggest accidental killers on the trail. Wagon accidents were the most common. Both children and adults sometimes fell off or under wagons and were crushed under the wheels.
What did the pioneers eat on the Oregon Trail?
Cornmeal Pancakes
Like flour, pioneers brought along tons of cornmeal for the trail. 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 was the main item that pioneers brought with them 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.
What did the pioneers eat for breakfast?
Beans, cornmeal mush, Johnnycakes or pancakes, and coffee
were the usual breakfast. Fresh milk was available from the dairy cows that some families brought along, and pioneers took advantage go the rough rides of the wagon to churn their butter.
How did pioneers stay clean?
Pioneers sometimes
washed their dishes in the creek
. They had no scrub pads and sometimes had to use sand to get the dishes clean! Even if they washed the dishes in the house, they still had to fetch the water and heat it up. Pioneers sometimes did not get to wash their hair or body all week long.
Did pioneers boil their drinking water?
First, well water and spring water is naturally cleaner, but it is not clean. Also boiling water with the intent of purifying it has been around since ancient greece, aproximately 4000 years ago. So we could say that
probably some pioneers did boil water, at least some of the time.
Where did pioneers sleep?
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.
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 is the difference between a prairie schooner and a Conestoga wagon?
The Conestoga wagon was much larger and heavier than a prairie schooner
. A Conestoga wagon was pulled by six to eight horses or a dozen oxen, while a prairie schooner was much lighter and rarely needed more than four horses or oxen, and sometimes only two.
