Explore photos and text from reliable resources to learn more about pioneering, the American Frontier in the 1800's, and the Indigenous Peoples of that time.
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Pioneers
"Pioneers were men, women, and children who started new lives on the U.S. frontier in the 1800s. After a long journey from the East, they built simple homes and small farms" (Britannica).
Health & Life of Pioneers
"Along the way, pioneers and Native Americans sometimes fought. Many pioneers died from accidents and disease" (Britannica).
"Diseases and serious illnesses caused the deaths of nine out of tenpioneers.
The number of deaths which occurred in wagon train companies traveling to California is conservatively figured as 20,000 for the entire 2,000 miles of the Oregon/California Trail, or an average of ten graves per mile" (National Oregon Trail Center).
Oregon Trial - Supplies
"A pioneer’s...[supply] wasn’t terribly expensive; usually one or two small, sturdy farm wagons, six to 10 head of oxen, a milk cow or two. Plus all the necessary food, clothing and utensils needed for survival" (National Oregon/California Trail Center).
"To survive the long jouney, a family of four would need:
"These would just be the basic staples. Other food stuffs could include:
sacks of rice and beans, plus dried peaches and apples.
Bacon was often hauled in large barrels packed in bran so the hot sun would not melt the fat.
Each man took a rifle or shotgun and some added a pistol. A good hunting knife was essential.
Farm [tools] such as a plow, shovel, scythe, rake, hoe; plus carpentry tools - saw, broad axe, mallet, plane. Seeds for corn, wheat and other crops" (National Oregon/California Trail Center).
"The trip west was difficult. Many pioneers traveled in covered wagons pulled by horses, mules, or oxen. They often followed well-worn paths such as the Oregon Trail or the Santa Fe Trail" (Britannica).
"Pioneers had different reasons for moving westward.
Many settlers went west during the California gold rush of 1849.
Many former slaves wanted to start a new life after the Civil War ended in 1865" (Britannica).
The Oregon Trail - History Channel
The Telegraph
"The telegraph is a device for communicating over a distance. It uses electricity to send coded messages through wires. In the middle of the 1800s the telegraph was the fastest way to communicate over long distances" (Britannica).
