Preparing for the trip
Food
Traveling
This and that
Vocabulary
100
Why did some people want to travel all the way to Oregon?
They heard stories about Oregon from visitors and reading newspapers. These stories made Oregon sound like a magical place. Flowers bloomed all year. The land was good for farming. There was plenty of land that you could get fro free. There were tall trees and big forests, and rivers and streams filled with fish.
100
What food would you pack in your wagon for the long trip west?
Flour, yeast, crackers, bacon, cornmeal, eggs, dried meat, dried fruit, potatoes, rice, and beans
100
Did anybody lead the wagon train?
Yes, the pioneers would gather and elect a leader. This leader would blow the horn to wake everyone up in the morning. He was also the one who decided when you would stop for lunch and at the end of the day.
100
Where would you sleep?
Sometimes you would sleep under the wagon, sometimes under it, sometimes in a tent, and sometimes out in the open stars.
100
What was a prairie schooner?
A covered wagon. A schooner is a boat that sails on the seas. The big white canvas cover on the wagon looked like a huge sail. And if the grass was tall enough to hide the wheels, the wagon, the wagon looked like a big boat sailing across the grassy green waves.
200
What was the best time of year to start the trip?
The best time of year to start the trip was in May, because if you started too early the spring rains would have made so much mud that the wagon wheels would get stuck. Then you might have to spend days digging yourself out. Also, if you started too early the grass would not have grown enough and the animals would not have enough to eat. If you started to late you might get stuck on the trail during winter.
200
What food could you gather along the trail?
Berries, honey and some vegetables.
200
What was a trail guide?
Trail guides were people who wagon trains hired. They had made the trip before and knew the way. The guides would know the best places to cross the rivers. They also knew how far you traveled and how much more you had to go. They also taught the pioneers some of the tricks of the trail.
200
What kind of clothes did people wear?
Boys wore shirts and pants made of cotton or buckskin. Girls wore skirts or dresses, usually made of brightly colored cotton.
200
What was a wagon train?
A wagon train was a group of covered wagons that went together on the long trip west.
300
How long did the whole trip take?
The whole trip took about five or six months.
300
How keep your eggs from breaking?
You would store them in a flour barrel.
300
How would you cross the rivers when there were no bridges?
Most of the time you would seal the wagon tight by filling in all the cracks in the would with tar or candle wax mixed with ashes. Then you would take the wheels off and float the wagon across the river. You could also cross the rivers on large flat boats called scows. But the horses, cows, and oxen had to swim across because they couldn't fit on the scows. The covered wagon had blocks of wood placed in front and back of its wheels so that it wouldn't roll off the scow.
300
How would you build a fire if you didn't have any wood?
The children would gather dried buffalo droppings-called buffalo chips. The chips would make a hot, clean fire, usually with little smoke and no smell.
300
What is the Continental Divide?
If you drew an imaginary line along the top of the Rocky Mountains from the north to the south, you would have drawn the Continental Divide. This is the place in the US where the rivers flow in different directions. On the west side, all the rivers flowed toward the Pacific. On the east side, they all flowed toward the Atlantic.
400
What would your family bring in their covered wagon?
Food, water, clothing, cloth, needles, thread, pins, scissors, saws, hammers, nails, string, knives, soap, wax, lanterns, washbowls, tents, medicine, plates, knives, forks, spoons, cups, pots and pans.
400
How could you make butter easily?
You could put milk in a can and hang the can from the wagon hoops or tie it to the side of the wagon.
400
How far would you travel in one day?
On many days you would travel ten to fifteen miles. If it was muddy and raining hard, you might make one mile in a whole day.
400
What happened if you met Indians on the trail?
If the Indians were friendly you might trade with them. If they were not friendly, they might steal your animals. You could get your animals back by paying a ransom.
400
What is cholera?
A disease that is often fatal. It comes from drinking infected water and leads to diarrhea and vomiting.
500
What was a covered wagon?
A covered wagon was a wagon with a white rounded top made of cloth. The cloth was called canvas and was rubbed with oil to make it waterproof. It was stretched over big wooden hoops that were bent from one side to the other. There were drawstrings in the front and the back of the canvas. If you pulled the strings tight, you could close the ends to keep out the rain or wind.
500
How did you make buffalo meat last a long time?
You would cut the meat into strips (about one inch thick) and heat it over a very low fire for several hours or dry the meat in the sun for 2 days
500
Would you ride in the wagon for the whole time? Why?
No, because it was too bumpy.
500
What chores would you have to do on the trip?
Milk the cows, fetch the water, help cook the food, was the dishes, help skin and prepare the meat, collect wood or buffalo chips, shake out the blankets, and hang the beef jerky to dry.
500
What is malaria?
A disease you got from a mosquito. It caused extreme fever and could be deadly.
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