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HOW THEY MADE THE JOURNEY,
COVERED WAGONS, SUPPLIES:
As people began making the journey West, the Great Plains offered little to farmers who were used to working on rich land with plentiful rainfall. There-fore, Settlers continued west, crossing the Great Plains to get to the Pacific Northwest, which was then called the Oregon Country. This area carried a reputation of near paradise, where the climate and the soil could almost guarantee prosperity and health. The central valleys of California were viewed in much the same way. However, this journey would test the courage and determination of all who attempted it. Oregon and California were not only on the other side of the Great Plains---more than 2,000 miles away from Missouri---they were also on the other side of deserts and the two tallest mountain chains in the nation! Still, many were willing to make the trek in order to reach their imagined promised land. In fact, more than a third of a million people moved from the Missouri Valley to the Pacific Coast between 1841 and the late 1860s.There were several routes that pioneers could take to the West. None of them were easy. Most people followed the overland trails, which included 
the Oregon Trail and the California Trail. The Oregon Trail went northwest
for 2,400 miles across endless grasslands of the prairies, through the desert, over the Blue, Cascade, and Rocky Mountains, onto Oregon. The California Trail went southwest over the Sierra-Nevada to California. Other major trails included the Mormon Trail and the Santa Fe. All the major trails began at one of the early "jumping-off places" in Missouri, such as Independence, St. Joseph, or Kansas City. Pioneer familes gathered there, joined up with a wagon train, and began the most difficult journey of their lives. Most emigrants made the over 2,000-mile journey on foot. While the covered wagon was essential for the trip, it was used more often to carry supplies and possessions, rather than people. Because life is made up of more than necessities, the pioneers tended to greatly over-load their wagons with special treasures which they felt they just could not leave behind. Sadly, these possessions would be some of the first items left behind along the trail. For this westward journey, pioneers did not usually use the large conestoga wagons because they were simply too awkward and difficult to manuever. Rather, they used smaller farm wagons, which were much easier to handle because the undercarriage was centered around a king pin, allowing the front wheels to pivot and the wagon to turn more easily. The front wheels were smaller than the rear wheels, and this also helped the wagon to make sharper turns. The cotton covers of the wagon were drawn tightly at both ends in an attempt to keep out as much dust as possible. They were also treated with linseed oil to keep them as dry as possible in the rain, but eventually, most leaked anyway. These wagons were called "schooners", or "ships of the plains" because their cloth tops would wave in the wind, giving each wagon train the appearance of a fleet of ships. Large conestoga wagons were not typicallyused for the long Westward journey.  Schooners had smaller front wheels, and were easier to handle.  As the wagon was meant to carry supplies, most emigrants tried to load them with all their possessions, including those of sentimental value--even furniture! But space within a covered wagon was limited; the interior size of a wagon was only about 10 feet long by 4 feet wide, yet they were loaded up with over a ton of cargo. Pioneers needed to carefully consider what to bring along, because packing enough food and water for the long journey was, of course, a necessity.A family of four needed over 1,000 pounds of food to sustain them. Foods included such as 150 pounds of bacon, 10 pounds of coffee, 200 pounds of flour, 20 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of salt, at least one 125-pound sack of corn meal, bags of rice, beans, and dried apples and peaches.Tools were vital, also, and most wagons had at least one toolbox built on the side. Candles, household utensils, guns and ammunition were also essential items. The wagon had a box built on the front for the driver, and staples
could be stored in this box as well, plus the box could be lifted off
the wagon and used as a table during stops. Several 50-gallon barrels
of water were packed onto the wagon, then chests (which had been packed
with clothing for the trip) were placed behind the food storage chest.
Another trunk containing dishes and other household items that the settlers
were bringing along for use in their new life, was then packed on the
wagon. The dishes which would be used along the journey were stored
in baskets, and these dishes were most often made of tin. A washtub
was placed in the wagon where it would be handy, and any other personal
items that could fit were packed--books, family pictures, children's
favor-ite toys, butter churn, furniture such as chairs, tables, spinning
wheel, etc.....and finally, most imprtantly to the emigrants--their
feather mattress. This represented for them, the "better life"
to which they were heading. As the journey began, most emigrants quickly realized
how overloaded their wagons were, and soon they began discarding items
along the way. Often, the trail was so thick with discarded treasures
and supplies, that scavengers could fully load wagons with the items
they found!
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attacks
did occur--albeit, rare as they might have been. The land being crossed
and settled by westward pioneers had been the home of Native Americans
for thousands of years. The cultural losses they suffered during the
western expansion, not to mention the destruction and suffering they
endured, caused natural rebellion.