We Got You Covered back in the day

I would have been one of the folks waving goodbye as they embarked on this new adventure.

I often think about the hardships of daily life, possessions abandoned along the trail, folks that ended up walking because horses died.

I’m curious about it all but more than a little bit thankful for my comfortable modern life.

https://www.jobcarrmuseum.org/blog/oregon-trail-foods-on-the-journey
 

“In the mid-1840s, settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail spent roughly $800 to $1200 to be properly outfitted. (Although there are many factors to consider, the cost of supplies would equate to roughly $32,000 in 2014 dollars). Many of the pioneers raised their capital by selling their farms and possessions.”

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History Bits & Westward Quotes on the Oregon Trail​

 
One of the saddest stories (other than the Donner expedition) involved the Mormon Handcart Trek.

Because some of the settlers couldn't afford oxen and covered wagons, a scheme was proposed by Brigham Young for them to push or pull large handcarts. There were about 10 of the treks altogether and I don't believe any of them were resounding successes but at least one was a real disaster.

The carts were poorly built of inferior lumber and they started too late in the season. They were supposed to cover approximately 18 miles a day but it was very hard to do that as the carts started breaking down. Then they got caught by the snow. In the worst instance, about 1/4 of the settlers died on the trek.
 
The trek could be very dangerous because of encroaching on indigenous peoples land. The Wagon trains were arranged in a circle for defense if the Indians attacked them. :eek:

the sound is bad...but it shows the danger in real action. ( of course Hollywood )
 
After I watched the movie “Call of the Wild,” I was wishing I would have had a chance to join in the gold rush up in the Yukon.

The conditions looked terrible, but maybe Hollywood made it look worse than what it was. Anyway, I would have liked to give it a try to see if I could hit the jackpot.

And, to take a trip from the east to the west would have been a great adventure, except dealing with the conditions, the animals and the American Indians. I think it would have been best to join a wagon train and have some security.
 
oldman said:
After I watched the movie “Call of the Wild,” I was wishing I would have had a chance to join in the gold rush up in the Yukon.

The conditions looked terrible, but maybe Hollywood made it look worse than what it was. Anyway, I would have liked to give it a try to see if I could hit the jackpot.

And, to take a trip from the east to the west would have been a great adventure, except dealing with the conditions, the animals and the American Indians. I think it would have been best to join a wagon train and have some security.
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I’m content to read about it! 😉

1725829717361.jpeg

I can’t imagine the misery that so many must have faced with relatively simple infections, broken bones, toothaches, etc…
 
Aunt Bea said:
I’m content to read about it! 😉

View attachment 366433

I can’t imagine the misery that so many must have faced with relatively simple infections, broken bones, toothaches, etc…
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That picture is in the movie. Great movie with Harrison Ford. They used AI to produce the dog named Buck and what else it may have been used for, I do not know. If anyone gets a chance to watch it, please do.
 
Aunt Bea said:
This article is from a 1970 Mother Earth News magazine.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/sus...-environment/sheepherders-wagon-zmaz70mjzkin/

I used to devour every issue the day it arrived but I never had the courage to give up my relatively comfortable mainstream life.
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Great story. I remember my dad talking about burning the cow patties, but I never heard the term “Hoover Coal.” Our pioneers really had it rough and were probably the real campers in our lives. People today that go camping take along some of the comforts of home like, battery operated radios and even some have TV’s in their campers or RV’s. Those people are nothing like the pioneers of yesteryear.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I’m content to read about it! 😉

View attachment 366433

I can’t imagine the misery that so many must have faced with relatively simple infections, broken bones, toothaches, etc…
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That is the Chillkoot Pass leading in to Canadian territory. The North West Mounted Police had a check point at the summit. They required that each man have at least a thousand pounds of food and gear with them, or they would be turned back, again. This regulation saved the lives of many men, who had no idea how tough the trail ahead was going to be. The NWMP were the law enforcement in the Yukon Territory, which was and still is today, Canadian land.

The lawlessness of Skagway, Alaska, was not tolerated in the Yukon, and American criminals and con men were routinely sent packing back to US territory. Most of the men who went to the Yukon didn't make any money from gold mining. Those who brought scarce supplies, made money selling them to the erstwhile miners. Included in that group was Donald Trump's Grand Father, who ran a hotel and bordello in Dawson Creek. Thats where the Trump fortune was built. JIMB.
 
jimintoronto said:
That is the Chillkoot Pass leading in to Canadian territory. The North West Mounted Police had a check point at the summit. They required that each man have at least a thousand pounds of food and gear with them, or they would be turned back, again. This regulation saved the lives of many men, who had no idea how tough the trail ahead was going to be. The NWMP were the law enforcement in the Yukon Territory, which was and still is today, Canadian land.

The lawlessness of Skagway, Alaska, was not tolerated in the Yukon, and American criminals and con men were routinely sent packing back to US territory. Most of the men who went to the Yukon didn't make any money from gold mining. Those who brought scarce supplies, made money selling them to the erstwhile miners. Included in that group was Donald Trump's Grand Father, who ran a hotel and bordello in Dawson Creek. Thats where the Trump fortune was built. JIMB.
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Donald Trump's grandfather barely survived a shipwreck in Alaska
 
Back in the day ???

Come to Houston when the Cook-off and Rodeo come to town every Februarty …. more stagecoaches, cowboys and horses all over the city for 2-3 weeks.

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The movement westward in Canada was quite a bit different than it was in the USA. The highest number of Immigrants to arrive in Canada was in the year 1913, when 400,000 people landed here from Europe. The CPR and the CNR moved people westward on passenger trains, not covered wagons, and the Canadian Government made sure that law and order was established first, before the settlers arrived on mass. Town sites were laid out, lots were surveyed and land was offered for sale to the new arrivals. Schools and public services were available and so were courts and jails. The American style "wild west " didn't happen in western Canada. JIMB.
 

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