Pioneers needed wagons strong enough to haul people and supplies for five months or more. To outlast the rugged trail and months of wear, the wagon needed to be constructed of seasoned hardwood. Most pioneers used the typical
farm wagon
with a canvas cover stretched over hooped frames.
What were the wagons used for?
A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for
transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people
.
What wagons did they use on the Oregon Trail?
Prairie schooner
, 19th-century covered wagon popularly used by emigrants traveling to the American West. In particular, it was the vehicle of choice on the Oregon Trail.
Did people on the Oregon Trail sleep in their 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.
Why did most pioneers ride in wagons?
Pioneers often spread out for several miles across the plains to hunt,
find grazing patches for their animals
and avoid the choking dust clouds kicked up by other wagon trains.
What are 2 reasons people died on 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
.
What was the greatest cause of death on the Oregon Trail?
Emigrants feared death from a variety of causes along the trail: lack of food or water; Indian attacks; accidents, or rattlesnake bites were a few. However, the number one killer, by a wide margin, was
disease
.
Why did the people walk the Oregon Trail?
Travelers were
inspired by dreams of gold and rich farmlands
, but they were also motivated by difficult economic times in the east and diseases like yellow fever and malaria that were decimating the Midwest around 1837.
What percent of pioneers died on the Oregon Trail?
Most of the emigrants on the Oregon Trail survived the trip.
Between four and six percent
of the emigrants died along the way – between 12,500 and 20,000 people. This is about one grave for every 200 yards of trail (the length of two football fields). Most of those who died were either children or elderly people.
What was the most common wagon on the Oregon Trail?
PRAIRIE SCHOONERS. The most common wagons used for hauling freight back East were
the Conestogas
, developed in Pennsylvania by descendants of German colonists.
How many died on the Oregon Trail?
Combined with accidents, drowning at dangerous river crossings, and other illnesses,
at least 20,000 people
died along the Oregon Trail. Most trailside graves are unknown, as burials were quick and the wagon trains moved on.
Does the Oregon Trail still exist?
The 2,000-mile Oregon Trail was used by pioneers headed west from Missouri to find fertile lands. Today,
travelers can follow the trail along Route 66 or Routes 2 and 30
.
What did settlers sleep?
Shucks or hay or leaves
were placed upon the shelves supported by these crude frames. Most pioneers spent the days in grueling labor so they could rest well about anywhere. That explains how they were able to sleep on such crude beds.
Why didn’t most pioneers ride in their wagons?
Teams of oxen or mules pulled the wagons along the dusty trail. 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.
Why did pioneers go to Oregon?
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. … Most of the pioneer families either followed the Oregon-California Trail or the Mormon Trail.
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
.
