The Wagon
Imagine your family decided to move across the country. How would you travel? What would you bring with you? Your answer might be: by plane, and you would probably want to bring your favorite toys, clothes, sports equipment... But what about food, tools, and water? Well, things were a bit different in the 1840s; a family would have to make the trek across the plains walking alongside their wagon, which carried the essential necessities for survival on the five to six-month journey.
The most common type of wagon was made of wood, and measured approximately 4 x 10 feet (about the size of a small garden shed). When packing, every inch of space had to be carefully planned in order to make the best use of the space. Consider this: There were no super-marts along the way to replenish the food that was consumed. The family had to bring along plenty of supplies to sustain them through the journey, while at the same time ensuring the wagon would not be too heavy to handle - a full wagon could weigh 2,000 pounds!!
Wagons were commonly pulled by oxen. An ox is a trained steer (male cow), that is very hardy, can eat grass, and could be eaten if food ran out! The oxen would be trained to work on a yoke, which is a long piece of wood that fits over the necks of the oxen, and a teamster would walk beside them, using a stick and word commands to make them turn.
These are some of the recommended items, per person, for the six month voyage:
200 pounds of flour
75 pounds of bacon
30 pounds of hardtack
10 pounds of rice
5 pounds of coffee
10 pounds of salt
1/2 bushel of dried beans
25 pounds of sugar
You would also need yeast, lard, eggs, dried meat, and water! Some pioneers brought along livestock in order to get milk, meat, and eggs, and would collect roots and berries along the way.
Pioneers needed to bring tools and equipment for repairs along the way, as well as cooking tools (dutch oven, tin plates, coffee pot, milk buckets, butter churn, baking pans, coffee grinder, bowls, spoons), firewood, and other household tools, medicine, clothing, blankets, soap, candles, clothing, and extra walking shoes.
Why the extra walking shoes? Contrary to popular belief, pioneers did not ride inside the wagons - there was simply no room! They walked alongside, and their shoes wore out from all the walking! Can you imagine walking for six months to get to your destination? The average distance covered in a day was 15 miles. The regular day started at 4 a.m. with rounding the cattle and fixing breakfast, and ended at 8 p.m. when camp settled down for the night after supper.
Visit Oregon Trail Center to see what a day on the trail would have looked like.
What would you pack in your wagon? Look in your activity book for ideas!
The most common type of wagon was made of wood, and measured approximately 4 x 10 feet (about the size of a small garden shed). When packing, every inch of space had to be carefully planned in order to make the best use of the space. Consider this: There were no super-marts along the way to replenish the food that was consumed. The family had to bring along plenty of supplies to sustain them through the journey, while at the same time ensuring the wagon would not be too heavy to handle - a full wagon could weigh 2,000 pounds!!
Wagons were commonly pulled by oxen. An ox is a trained steer (male cow), that is very hardy, can eat grass, and could be eaten if food ran out! The oxen would be trained to work on a yoke, which is a long piece of wood that fits over the necks of the oxen, and a teamster would walk beside them, using a stick and word commands to make them turn.
These are some of the recommended items, per person, for the six month voyage:
200 pounds of flour
75 pounds of bacon
30 pounds of hardtack
10 pounds of rice
5 pounds of coffee
10 pounds of salt
1/2 bushel of dried beans
25 pounds of sugar
You would also need yeast, lard, eggs, dried meat, and water! Some pioneers brought along livestock in order to get milk, meat, and eggs, and would collect roots and berries along the way.
Pioneers needed to bring tools and equipment for repairs along the way, as well as cooking tools (dutch oven, tin plates, coffee pot, milk buckets, butter churn, baking pans, coffee grinder, bowls, spoons), firewood, and other household tools, medicine, clothing, blankets, soap, candles, clothing, and extra walking shoes.
Why the extra walking shoes? Contrary to popular belief, pioneers did not ride inside the wagons - there was simply no room! They walked alongside, and their shoes wore out from all the walking! Can you imagine walking for six months to get to your destination? The average distance covered in a day was 15 miles. The regular day started at 4 a.m. with rounding the cattle and fixing breakfast, and ended at 8 p.m. when camp settled down for the night after supper.
Visit Oregon Trail Center to see what a day on the trail would have looked like.
What would you pack in your wagon? Look in your activity book for ideas!