Wendy Quest: OregonTrail

Showing posts with label OregonTrail. Show all posts

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - Diseases and Disasters - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to Historical Tidbit Thursdays. The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research path to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

Wagons required a lot of maintenance to make the 2000 mile journey. Every day the wheels must be greased with lard from buffalo or other animals.

Before crossing a river, emigrants used long poles to test for quicksand and they would plant them into the ground where it was safe to cross. Some people would tar their wagons to make them more buoyant.

Cholera was a deadly disease whose symptoms included diarrhea, stomach and leg cramps, and vomiting. Emigrants would try to cure it with calomel, laudanum (yes - believe it or not and many history stories include addiction to this "cure"), or mint tea.

Indians and probably many other unscrupulous people would steal horses and/or oxen (and resell them). Wagons were circled around animals at night to keep them penned in and guarded.

Traders burned acres of grassland to force emigrants to sell starving cattle or milk cows cheap and then they would turn around and resell them at high prices.

Oxen and cattle could succumb to Alkali poisoning if they drank alkaline water. Symptoms included swelling of stomach and chest, cough, and death. One cure was to pour grease or water-flour mixture down their throats.

Oregon did not recognize the land-claims of African Americans.

Source:
How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail by Tod Olson; ISBN#978-1-4263-0413-2

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - More Costs for Things - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to Historical Tidbit Thursdays. The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research path to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

This week I wanted to share some more of the estimated prices travelers faced during their journey. You can see as the travelers got further and further away from "civilization", the higher the cost of goods. An interesting note - local Missourian merchants sold goods at a higher price to emigrants than to the locals.

The ferry (controlled by the Sac and Fox Indians) to cross a river at Wolf Creek was $1 per wagon and $0.25 per animal. In general for ferry crossings, if there was a lot of rain and the water was deep/dangerous, the price would go up.

Running ferries was a profitable business, especially if the person controlled the only safe place to cross. One man on the Elkhorn River made up to $500 per day.

At Ash Hollow trading post, the cost for corn to feed cattle was $160 for 20 bushels. 200 lbs of flour was $50. Back in St. Joseph it was $0.15 per lb or $30 for 200 lbs.

At Fort Laramie trading post, a jar of lemon syrup (for flavoring) was $1.25. A bottle of ink was $0.30 (3 times the normal cost). Chewing tobacco ran for about $1.00 and up to $5.00 in Salt Lake City (originally costing $0.20).

Source:
How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail by Tod Olson; ISBN#978-1-4263-0413-2

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - The Cost of Items - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to Historical Tidbit Thursdays. The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research path to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

This week I wanted to share some of the estimated prices travelers faced during their journey with this ingenious book I found at the library, told through the eyes of a fictitious family's clever son.

They sell their house for $1850 in preparation for their journey.

They purchase stagecoach tickets from Springfield, MO to St. Louis MO at $8 per person. This is a distance of around 100 miles. The average speed of a coach was 5 miles per hour or 60 miles per day. So this journey took at least 2 days.

Once in St. Louis, they purchased steamboat passage from St. Louis, MO to St. Joseph, MO (more commonly known as St. Joe) at a cost of $12 per person and $12 freight. St Joseph would be their "jumping off" or starting point to Oregon. Here they would buy their wagon and all their supplies for the long journey.

Items they would purchase:

Guidebook ($0.30). We can assume the train's Captain would purchase this to guide the rest of the travelers.
Wagon ($150)
4 Yoke Oxen ($280)
2 Milk Cows ($80)
1 Donkey ($50)
3 Rifles ($60)
30 lbs of Lead ($1.50) (to make bullets)
25 lbs of Gun Powder ($5.50)
1000 lbs of Flour ($150)
450 lbs of Bacon ($60)
25 lbs Coffee ($12.50)
5 lbs Tea ($2.75)
125 lbs Sugar ($67.50)
1 barrel/20 lbs Pickles ($10)
50 lbs of Salt and Pepper ($3)
50lbs Dried fruit ($3)
50 lbs Lard ($2.50)
10 lbs Saleratus (Cooking Powder)($1)
Cooking Utensils ($4)
Tent ($5.00)
Bedding ($22.50)
Matches ($1.00)
Candles and Soap ($7.00)

Total $978.75 and about 2175 lbs.

Source:
How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail by Tod Olson; ISBN#978-1-4263-0413-2

Photo Credits: Stage Coach By Captain-tucker - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10640949
Photo Credits: Steamboat By Unknown - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3d02054.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3662610

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - The Journey - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to Historical Tidbit Thursdays! The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research path to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

By 7am, the wagon train started moving. Each day they travelled about 15 miles (which doesn't seem like a lot considering their entire journey was 2000 miles.

The train would follow the same paths taken by previous travelers and they would confirm their distance and position by landmarks along the way. Popular landmarks (even today) include Courthouse and Jail Rock (second picture above) and Chimney Rock (first picture above), both in Nebraska.

At about the 600 mile mark (at 15 miles per day would be about 40 days) they would reach the trading post Fort Laramie (in modern-day Wyoming). Here they could refill their supplies, rest their oxen and families.

The next big stop was South Pass where they would cross the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. Interestingly, this is an area where water on the western side flows down to the Pacific Ocean and water on the eastern side flows down in the direction of the Atlantic.

1 in 10 travelers did not complete the journey. Deadly diseases (like cholera), injuries or accidents plagued them. One sad example of family tragedy in the book was the Sager family. Farmer Henry Sager, his wife Naomi and their 7 children (the baby, Henrietta, having been born on the journey) headed to Oregon for better farm land. Along the way, their daughter Catherine (9 years old) jumped out of a moving wagon. Her dress was caught and she was thrown under a wagon wheel which crushed one of her legs. The doctor was able to set it right away but she was confined to the wagon the rest of the journey. Her father became ill and died around Laramie, Wyoming. Naomi caught "camp fever", a form of typhus which resulted in high fever, chills, rashes and confusion. She also died. The orphans were cared for by some of the train members and the doctor. Captain Shaw, in charge of the wagon train, helped make arrangements for the orphans with Dr. Whitman at the mission.

Source:
How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? by Miriam Aronin; ISBN#978-0-7613-5332-4

Photo Credits: https://www.visitnebraska.com
Read more about the Sager family here: http://oregonpioneers.com/The%20Sager%20Family.htm

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - Preparing for the Journey - #TidbitThursday

Most emigrants arrived at their "jumping off" points (the place where they started the Oregon Trail journey) by steamboat. Jumping off points included Independence (Missouri), Saint Joseph (Missouri) or Council Bluffs (Iowa).

When the emigrants arrived to town, they brought little with them except a lot of money to buy supplies. It took about 2 to 3 weeks to purchase and prepare for the 6 month long trip.

The first thing they bought was a covered wagon or "prairie schooner" (so named because the white canvas looked like ship sails). The wagon could carry 1000 to 1500 pounds of goods. It was four feet wide by 12 feet long. The wagon would be crammed full and there wouldn't be much room for travelers. Only young children or those who couldn't walk or ride would sit in the wagon.

Emigrants would buy several hundred pounds of flour and bacon, sugar, salt, coffee, dried fruit, and other dry goods. They also bought heavy cooking pots and pans, sturdy tin dishes (not many, they usually shared), weapons (guns, ammo). A plow and farming implements.

Each wagon needed 4 to 6 oxen to pull the load.

Source:
How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? by Miriam Aronin; ISBN#978-0-7613-5332-4

Photo Credits: Britannica.com

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - Jedediah Smith - #TidbitThursday

Jedediah Strong Smith was born January 6, 1799 in Bainbridge, New York.

In 1822 at twenty-three years old, he joined a tradition expedition to the Upper Missouri River.

In 1823, he led a group of traders over a high plain through the Rocky Mountains (the same path taken by Robert Stuart in 1812). It was later called the "South Pass" because it was south of the route Lewis and Clark had taken earlier.

Soon Jedediah took over the fur-trading business. In 1830, his business partner, William Sublette, organized a group of 10 wagons to travel through the South Pass. This was the first wagon train to journey successfully through the Rockies.

Source:
How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? by Miriam Aronin; ISBN#978-0-7613-5332-4

Photo Credits: https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/south-pass

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - Oregon Country - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research trail to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

In the 1500's, Spanish explorers sailed ships to the Oregon area but didn't make permanent homes. They focused their efforts on California.

In 1805, United States President Thomas Jefferson sent explorers Meriwether Lewis (Jefferson's private secretary) and William Clark (who was a friend of Lewis's) to explore the lands west of the Mississippi River, documenting what they saw and creating detailed maps.

In 1810, New York fur-trade businessman John Jacob Astor sent a group of men to set up a trading post in Oregon Territory named Fort Astor (or Astoria). This became the first American settlement in Oregon Country. However, Astoria faced a lot of difficulties - the local natives killed most of the traders after a confrontation. A small group headed back to New York to report to their boss, John, led by Robert Stuart. Along the way, Crow Indians stole their horses. Robert Stuart had traversed the Oregon Trail - in reverse.

In 1833, a letter appeared in a New York Christian-faith newspaper saying that Nez Perce Indians were asking questions about the Bible ("white man's book of Heaven"). In response, churches sent missionaries west to teach natives about Christianity. One missionary was Doctor Marcus Whitman who went to Oregon in 1835. In 1836 he returned to New York. February 18th he married Narcissa Prentiss. The very next day, they went to Oregon Country to set up a missionary. A year later, she gave birth to Alice Clarissa Whitman (who drowned to death two years later).

Source:
How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? by Miriam Aronin; ISBN#978-0-7613-5332-4

Photo Credit: https://www.biography.com/people/meriwether-lewis-9381267
Photo Credit: https://www.biography.com/people/william-clark-9542620
Photo Credit: https://www.biography.com/people/john-jacob-astor-9191158
Photo Credit: https://www.nps.gov/whmi/learn/historyculture/narcissa-biography.htm

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - The Journey - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research trail to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

As we mentioned in the first post, the first group journey consisted of a 1000 people but only 120 wagons. That means a little over 8 people for every wagon. Each wagon had to be filled with enough food and supplies to last 6 months.

Only very young children, those who couldn't walk or ride, would sit in the wagon. Most walked. They averaged 12 to 15 miles of walking per day.

Children had their use along the journey - collecting firewood or buffalo chips for fires.

The emigrants (as they were called) faced blistering heat, snowstorms, raging rivers, accidents, wild animals, and contagious diseases (like cholera).

But the end of the journey was worth it - each adult male was granted 640 acres.

Source:
The Oregon Trail by Rachel Lynette; ISBN#978-1-4777-0786-9

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - Factoids - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research trail to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

The Oregon Trail became really popular between 1843 and 1869 as people headed west to claim land or find their riches.

It is estimated that 300,000 up to 500,000 people made the 6 month long journey.

In 1848, the discovery of gold near San Francisco, caused travelers to form a southwestern branch off the trail to California.

Mormons on their way to Utah created another branch - the Mormon Trail.

To compare, in 1869 with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, it only took 1 week to journey from Nebraska to California (eventually putting the Oregon Trail out of business).

Source:
The Oregon Trail by Rachel Lynette; ISBN#978-1-4777-0786-9

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - The Beginnings - #TidbitThursday

In 1824, Jedediah Smith, a mountain man, found a pass through the Rocky Mountain, thus opening a way to travel to the Oregon Country.

In 1836, the White Mission was established in a place near today's Walla Walla, Washington. It became a stop near the end of what would become the Oregon Trail.

Up until this time, Oregon Country had passed many hands - Spain, Great Britain, Russia, and France - until Great Britain finally obtained control of it.

In 1846, a treaty was signed giving the United States part of the Oregon Territory.

In 1843, the first large group of 1000 emigrants left Independence, Missouri for Oregon Territory. They journeyed for 6 months over 2000 miles with 120 wagons pulled by oxen.

Source:
How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? by Miriam Aronin; ISBN#978-0-7613-5332-4

Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedediah_Smith#/media/File:Jedediah_Smith.jpg

Historical Tidbit Thursdays - The Oregon Trail - The Beginnings - #TidbitThursday

Howdy!

Welcome to our newest addition to the blog - Historical Tidbit Thursdays!

The next few weeks I'm veering off my normal Texas History research trail to dive deep into the Oregon Trail and share my research with you! Hope you enjoy!

In 1824, Jedediah Smith, a mountain man, found a pass through the Rocky Mountains. He and his companions were the first U.S. explorers to reach Oregon country.

In 1836, the White Mission was founded at what is today's Walla Walla, Washington; it became a stop near the end of the Oregon Trail.

Mountain men and fur trappers journeyed to Oregon Country over the years. The first large group to travel over what would become known as the Oregon trail left Independence, Missouri in May of 1843. 1000 people made the 2000 mile journey over 6 months with 120 wagons.

The Oregon Country had changed hands many times before this time among France, Russia, Great Britain and Spain. By 1846, a treaty with Great Britain made it a part of the United States.

Source:
The Oregon Trail by Rachel Lynette; ISBN#978-1-4777-0786-9 ISBN#0-306-80586-3

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