A Year in the Life of a Pioneer
Early Spring & Preparation:
Around March and April, families would begin their long journey by leaving their homes in the East after tearful goodbyes to family, friends, and all things familiar. In the early Spring, pioneers would flood Independence Missouri and prepare for the long trip west. Here, the pioneers would try to locate friends and purchase supplies for the trip. The wagon would be a 10ft x 3½ ft bed with a cloth cover cured in oil to protect from the rain. Pioneers were advised to use a team of oxen instead of horses to pull the wagon as the oxen were stronger and more sturdy and resilient to the harsh conditions and could find and eat food that would not be suitable for horses. The wagons could carry over 2,000 pounds of weight, but pioneers were advised not to fill it to the maximum. According to the book “Journal of Travels over the Rocky Mountains" written by Joel Palmer and published in 1847, pioneers were advised to take:
Spring Departure:
Pioneers had a narrow window of departure for the West. They had to wait in Independence long enough for the grass to grow along the Oregon Trail to provide enough food for their oxen, but they had to leave early enough to make it over the mountains before the onset of winter. Typically, parties would set out in May.
The Summer Journey:
Pioneers usually traveled in groups, called wagon trains, that could range anywhere from several families to a thousand people. Sometimes they were led by an elected member of the group, and sometimes an experienced guide was hired. The journey usually took four to six months depending on weather conditions and events along the trail. About half the pioneers were children and 1/5 of the women were pregnant.
The Wagons:
Pioneers’ wagons were just large enough to carry the food and supplies for the trip, let alone carry passengers, so pioneers, including women and children would walk the entire 2,000 miles of the trail, averaging about 15 miles per day. The only passengers of the wagons were those too ill to walk. If your wagon broke along the way, it meant being stranded, so carrying extra wagon parts (or the tools to make them) was very important. Most common were broken axles, but any part of the wagon could pose a potential hazard, and sometimes the extra time required to repair their wagons could prove fatal. Many times, the pioneers would realize that they had brought too many items and be forced to leave them along the way, creating a trail of furniture, and family relics that lost their importance when compared to survival.
The Trail:
By the time the pioneers were traveling the Oregon Trail in large quantities, the terrain had been pretty well mapped out. Pioneers would carry guide books that had maps as well as charts listing the number of miles between landmarks and forts. For Laramie (Wyoming) was the last major landmark before the final leg of the journey, including the crossing of the mountains, was attempted. Here, the pioneers could rest and restock before setting out. Fort Laramie was also where the Mormon Trail split from the Oregon Trail to head south to Utah. The Trail led through all manner of terrain, including prairies, plains, hills, mud, mountains and rivers, and many times throughout the journey pioneers would have to ford streams and rivers and run the risk of capsizing the wagon and losing all of their supplies and belongings.
Late Summer/Early Fall:
As fall and winter approached, the pioneers were in a desperate race against time to get across the mountains and avoid being caught in the winter snows. In the early days of the trail, pioneers would have to leave their wagons and make the final leg of the journey in canoes down the Columbia River. But, after the first large migration of travelers (led by Marcus Whitman) made it through the mountains by an overland route, all following wagon trains used this portion of the trail called the Barlow Road. Crossing the mountains was the most dreaded and perilous portion of the journey and could result in the death of the whole party by freezing and starvation if not completed before the snow. After 4-5 months of travel, the pioneers arrived at their new home.
Hazards on the Trail:
The most common accident resulting in death was being run over by a wagon. Other causes of death were accidents with firearms, animal stampedes, sicknesses (including cholera), poisonous snakes and other animals, drowning, starvation, freezing, and lightning, gunpowder explosions. It’s estimated that there were around 20,000 deaths on the 2,000 mile trail. That’s 10 graves per mile.
Around March and April, families would begin their long journey by leaving their homes in the East after tearful goodbyes to family, friends, and all things familiar. In the early Spring, pioneers would flood Independence Missouri and prepare for the long trip west. Here, the pioneers would try to locate friends and purchase supplies for the trip. The wagon would be a 10ft x 3½ ft bed with a cloth cover cured in oil to protect from the rain. Pioneers were advised to use a team of oxen instead of horses to pull the wagon as the oxen were stronger and more sturdy and resilient to the harsh conditions and could find and eat food that would not be suitable for horses. The wagons could carry over 2,000 pounds of weight, but pioneers were advised not to fill it to the maximum. According to the book “Journal of Travels over the Rocky Mountains" written by Joel Palmer and published in 1847, pioneers were advised to take:
- For each adult, there should be two hundred pounds of flour, thirty pounds of pilot bread, seventy-five pounds of bacon, ten pounds of rice, five pounds of coffee, two pounds of tea, twenty-five pounds of sugar, half a bushel of dried beans, one bushel of dried fruit, two pounds of saleratus, ten pounds of salt, half a bushel of corn meal; and it is well to have a half bushel of corn, parched and ground; a small keg of vinegar should also be taken.
- Common items to be found in a pioneers wagon: Bedding: blankets, pillows and sometimes feather mattresses, tents; Weapons & Ammunition: Rifle, pistol, knife, hatchet, gunpowder, lead, bullet mold, powder horn, bullet pouch, holster; Cooking Utensils: dutch oven, skillet, coffee pot, tin plates/utensils, tin cups, ladle, water keg; Clothing: Wool was advised over cotton clothing, flannel shirts, boots, shoes, wool socks, hats, dresses, sunbonnets, and colored goggle/glasses (to protect against the glare of sun on the snow in the mountains). Tools & Equipment: Set of augers, gimlet, ax, hammer, hoe, plow, shovel, spade, whetstone, oxbows, axles, kingbolts, linchpins, ox shoes, spokes, wagon tongue, heavy ropes, chains Miscellaneous: Surgical instruments, liniments, bandages, campstool, chamber pot, washbowl, lanterns, candle molds, tallow, spyglasses, scissors, needles, pins, thread. Luxury Items: Canned foods, plant cuttings, schoolbooks, musical instruments, dolls, family albums, jewelry, china, silverware, fine linens, iron stoves, furniture
Spring Departure:
Pioneers had a narrow window of departure for the West. They had to wait in Independence long enough for the grass to grow along the Oregon Trail to provide enough food for their oxen, but they had to leave early enough to make it over the mountains before the onset of winter. Typically, parties would set out in May.
The Summer Journey:
Pioneers usually traveled in groups, called wagon trains, that could range anywhere from several families to a thousand people. Sometimes they were led by an elected member of the group, and sometimes an experienced guide was hired. The journey usually took four to six months depending on weather conditions and events along the trail. About half the pioneers were children and 1/5 of the women were pregnant.
The Wagons:
Pioneers’ wagons were just large enough to carry the food and supplies for the trip, let alone carry passengers, so pioneers, including women and children would walk the entire 2,000 miles of the trail, averaging about 15 miles per day. The only passengers of the wagons were those too ill to walk. If your wagon broke along the way, it meant being stranded, so carrying extra wagon parts (or the tools to make them) was very important. Most common were broken axles, but any part of the wagon could pose a potential hazard, and sometimes the extra time required to repair their wagons could prove fatal. Many times, the pioneers would realize that they had brought too many items and be forced to leave them along the way, creating a trail of furniture, and family relics that lost their importance when compared to survival.
The Trail:
By the time the pioneers were traveling the Oregon Trail in large quantities, the terrain had been pretty well mapped out. Pioneers would carry guide books that had maps as well as charts listing the number of miles between landmarks and forts. For Laramie (Wyoming) was the last major landmark before the final leg of the journey, including the crossing of the mountains, was attempted. Here, the pioneers could rest and restock before setting out. Fort Laramie was also where the Mormon Trail split from the Oregon Trail to head south to Utah. The Trail led through all manner of terrain, including prairies, plains, hills, mud, mountains and rivers, and many times throughout the journey pioneers would have to ford streams and rivers and run the risk of capsizing the wagon and losing all of their supplies and belongings.
Late Summer/Early Fall:
As fall and winter approached, the pioneers were in a desperate race against time to get across the mountains and avoid being caught in the winter snows. In the early days of the trail, pioneers would have to leave their wagons and make the final leg of the journey in canoes down the Columbia River. But, after the first large migration of travelers (led by Marcus Whitman) made it through the mountains by an overland route, all following wagon trains used this portion of the trail called the Barlow Road. Crossing the mountains was the most dreaded and perilous portion of the journey and could result in the death of the whole party by freezing and starvation if not completed before the snow. After 4-5 months of travel, the pioneers arrived at their new home.
Hazards on the Trail:
The most common accident resulting in death was being run over by a wagon. Other causes of death were accidents with firearms, animal stampedes, sicknesses (including cholera), poisonous snakes and other animals, drowning, starvation, freezing, and lightning, gunpowder explosions. It’s estimated that there were around 20,000 deaths on the 2,000 mile trail. That’s 10 graves per mile.