Wagon Train History: Story telling Style
By Author: Rita Redd
Scenes in many of the wagon train movies show some historical content along with fiction. Wagon travel was used from the 1700’s into the early 1900’s. The last major wagon travel with a large group of people was the great gold rush 1897 to 1898.
Have you ever wondered why the covered iron pot, is shown swinging under the wagon? The primary use was to carry coals, from one campsite to the next. It was much easier to carry the coals to light the fire. Matches were invented in 1827. Matches would have been a luxury, and in short supply, due to length of time traveled. The people did not have money for extras.
Many of our ancestors traveled long distances with wagons. (Some of our ancestors (Indians) shot arrows as the wagons traveled. They traveled often in groups, in a caravan of wagons. The hardships they endured were many. Leaving in the spring of the year enabled their horses, oxen and cattle to have grass to eat. Leaving in the spring they hoped to arrive and build adequate shelter, before the winter came.
Imagine loading a wagon with food, cooking utensils and necessities to last 6 months. Foods that would not ruin, flour, beans, meal and cured or dried meat. Beef and deer jerky were popular. Blankets, clothing, herbs, roots and barks used as home remedies. Tools and weapons for protection were also carried by the wagon. Then imagine no stores along the way. The people traveling tried to barter (trade) for goods, with persons traveling with the group.
The length of travel per day depended on the events of the day. 10 to 12 miles a day would be maximum on a good day. Weather, wagon repairs and other factors meant, less miles per day. The horses or often oxen used for pulling the wagons were the most valuable items owned. They had to be well cared for. Pulling the wagons 10 to 12 miles would be an exhausting day for the animals. Some of these wagon trains traveled 3000 miles or more to complete their journey.
Camps at night would have been with the wagons in a circle. The close circle provided protection to the people and their animals. Camps would have been close to a creek or river when possible. Creeks and rivers were safe for drinking, cooking, bathing and watering the animals. Pollution of streams would not come until the 1900’s.
The day would have started before daylight. The women cooking over an open fire or using the coals pulled aside, to put pans on. Rocks were often used around the fires. Pans for cooking could be placed on the rocks. Biscuits were cooked in an iron pan with a lid on the coals. Flour was not self rising until 1854. Biscuits, cake and other items would have been heavy (or chewy), unlike the flaky biscuits of today. While some prepared breakfast, others would have been hooking the horses or oxen to the wagons. Then the long bumpy ride to the next campsite would begin.
Think about the old western movies again. Did you ever notice the cows tied behind the wagons, were usually light tan or brown? Those are Jersey cows. Their milk has the highest fat content. The high fat content is needed for making butter and buttermilk. Owning one of these cows would be milk, butter and buttermilk for the family. Spare milk, butter and buttermilk could be traded.
Rich and poor alike traveled in wagon trains. Their status was unimportant on the journey. They all had to work together as a team to achieve their dreams. By the 1830’s migration had pushed the frontier to the Mississippi Valley. The tales of fertile valleys in the Oregon region and lands west of the Rocky Mountains tempted many. From the 1840’s to the 1860’s more than 300,000 people crossed the plains and the mountains of the West. From 1835 to 1855 more than 10,000 people died on the Oregon Trail.
The history of our ancestors can be confusing. During the time period of wagon trains and hardships, there were also plantations, comfortable homes and cities. Not cities as we know them now, but much like the ones seen in the western movies. Comfortable homes for the time period could have been of many sizes and shapes. Comfort might be one room with a fireplace or a very large plantation type house. Breads would be cooked on the hearth of the fireplace. Iron rods were attached to the fireplaces to swing cooking kettles over the fire. Cooking would have all been done on a fire, on the wagon trail, or in the homes.
Copyright 2003
By Author: Rita Redd
Published in U S Legacies October 2003
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